We kick off our 2017 communications with you by celebrating a new addition! We are thrilled to join Katie and her husband Doug in welcoming their newborn Sally Marie Ackerman to the world. Sally arrived at 5:52 pm on January 10 (just in time for supper), weighing in with all of her 8 pounds, 3 ounces. All reports suggest that Sally is healthy, a fantastic eater, and a perfect sleeper during the day. Nighttime sleeping is something she’s working on in the first quarter of 2017.

While running a half-marathon pales in comparison to some of life’s other challenges, I still found it wasn’t a cakewalk to participate in my first race a few weeks ago – the Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona run. As a cancer survivor and a person who doesn’t necessarily love running, this task was all I could handle. As you can tell from this picture, I grinned to tell about it. Bottom line, it’s fun to blow through old boundaries. I root for you as you push past yours in 2017!

I’m big into gratitude — especially when it comes to the entire Hill Investment Group team. Our collective hard work and thoughtful collaboration have been the essential ingredients in any and all professional successes we’ve enjoyed here at HIG.

To celebrate our time together, we’ve established two annual traditions. Each summer, we hold a mid-year family style BBQ (where we’ve been known to engage in lively debates on St. Louis pork steaks versus Texan brisket). Come Christmas, we don our formal attire for a more splashy gathering. Katie and I enjoy planning our Christmas celebration, so the rest of the team can relax and have a good time.

From our family to yours, we wish you a wonderful new year. To extend our gratitude onward, don’t forget to check out our book gift to you.