As our team put together today’s Progress Edition — the largest in recent history — we had the opportunity to talk with many business owners and managers around Northern Oakland County about the definition and idea of Progress.
 For many businesses, their owners and employees, Progress in 2023 means a return to normal. For others it means establishing a new normal following three years of the global COVID-19 pandemic and the business upheavals that resulted.
 We have learned that while many businesses shared common challenges during that time, such as supply chain and labor force availability, every business had its own unique challenges and its own unique story.
 The one thing that we come away with from our conversations with businesspeople is their indelible spirit of commitment to their customers, their employees and their community.
 Owning a business is not for the weak of heart. While creativity and competitiveness are usually present in the makeup of those who undertake a business venture, commitment is a key trait for those businesses that endure.
 Many of those business owners are also known for their commitment to community through their work with and for civic and church organizations. Others are known for their quiet kindness and generosity to their employees whom they may have helped establish their own businesses.
 While the competitive nature of business demands that a for-profit business must make money — or at least break even — to stay in business, rarely does that topic enter our conversations with business owners. Many business owners’ formula for success has to do with taking care of customers and employees and a belief that if you do those things right, the finance part will take care of itself.
 We take pride in telling the many unique stories of area business, education, nonprofit and agricultural businesses and organizations in our pages every week. This week, we renew our commitment to our advertisers and readers by telling the stories of Progress and the people in our community who make it happen through their commitment.
 Thank you to our dedicated team who put today’s special edition together, our advertisers who trust us to tell their story and — most of all — you, our readers, without whom none of this would be possible. Thank for your continued support and commitment to your community newspaper.