Today is Thanksgiving; I just finished a road race. As I was running, I thought of the many people in my life (family, business colleagues, employee teammates, teachers, mentors) who have shaped my values and who have supported me. On November 16 I was surprised and humbled at the Concord Area Chamber Annual Dinner to learn that I had been awarded the Citizen of the Year. In the awards presentation, Admiral Hutson described the many community organizations with which I’m involved and engaged. I realized I could not do all of those external activities without a great set of leaders and employee colleagues at Northeast Delta Dental, who enable me to have an external, strategic focus. I thank those colleagues, and my wife, Lisa, who realizes that my late nights relate to doing Delta Dental work after my labor of love, which is community/civic engagement and fitness. In summary, though I may have been given the Chamber’s Citizen of the Year Award, I could not lead effectively without the support of so many at Northeast Delta Dental, my family and the community at large. Thank you all. Happy Thanksgiving. Tom R.
