Many times in the last three years, I have used this space to talk about the momentum building in southwest Michigan. We have talked about new businesses, changes in education, new or revitalized community events, trends and new leaders.

As is typical in a newspaper, we spend a lot of space talking about what is happening now and what happened before, but for the next several months, you will be hearing a lot from me about what is happening next.

As we continue this trend of at least one new business opening every month in the greater Niles-Dowagiac area, many of us have turned our thoughts to wonder, “what is the next big thing?”

In this year’s Horizons edition, our team will explore just that.

You may be wondering, “does this lady have a crystal ball? How does she know what the future holds?”

And you would be right; I do not have a crystal ball, but what I do have is a number of outstanding colleagues, friends and neighbors who are working their tails off to make sure the momentum does not stop.

As you may have read in our papers, each of the communities in Leader Publications’ coverage area have leaders focused not only on this year’s happenings and this year’s budget — but the future of their communities. Cassopolis and Edwardsburg have gone as far as to bring experts in to help them build a vision for a brighter future. Other communities have planning commissions, visioning boards, strategic plans and entire retreats dedicated to looking to the future.

Similarly, our local school districts are constantly looking for innovative ways to best educate our students. Our chambers of commerce and downtown development associations are always looking for new techniques and tools to share with business owners.

Businesses that withstand the test of time know that they too must evolve over time to serve their customers. This may mean offering new products or services, freshening up logos and storefronts, expanding buildings or opening new locations.

This year’s Horizons theme is “A 2020 Vision for the Future.” Focusing on a clear picture of what is next in Berrien and Cass counties, this edition will talk about the people and organizations making these changes that will undoubtedly impact our region’s future, and we want you to be part of it.

What are you most looking forward to in 2020? What do you hope happens next? Who do you foresee as your community’s rising stars? What would make our region even better? What are you or your business doing to contribute to these improvements?

I encourage you to share your answers to these questions by emailing me at ambrosia.neldon@leaderpub.com, or calling (269) 687-7700.

We cannot wait to share what is on the horizon for southwest Michigan with all of you.