By RDG CEO Clint Nessmith
The holidays are the one time during the year when I can put my mental energy into things that aren’t RDG related. I usually try to tackle a minor carpentry project, as well other activities that allow me to scratch other parts of my brain. It’s therapeutic and a bit of a palate cleanser as we enter the new year. I highly recommend it!
2023 was the first full calendar year for me as CEO of RDG, and it’s been a phenomenal experience! As I worked on my projects this past week, I frequently thought about how thankful I am for RDG Founders Rob Radcliff and Mike Trubiano. Without their tutelage over the years, I would not have been able to hit the ground running as I have. That experience has proven invaluable, and I will be forever grateful. Their continued engagement as senior counsel has been most appreciated.
As we enter 2024, we are serving great clients and collectively working to raise them over $120 million. We are thrilled about our highly capable team, seeing new partnerships emerging, and are adding some exciting new wrinkles in our service offerings to meet the investor relations needs of our clients -- I look forward to sharing more details about these in the near future. Additionally, we are proud to be sponsoring ACCE and IEDC, and will be attending their respective conferences.
Finally, as I look into my crystal ball at what this year might bring from a fundraising perspective, we can be sure the 2024 elections will have an effect as companies may adjust their behavior depending upon the anticipated outcome. I suspect we will continue to see some hand-wringing amongst the financial service sector as they vigilantly watch for potential worst-case scenarios related to the global economy. Global companies may also be in a similar boat. Hospitals will likely continue to be conservative in their spending, but the worst is over for most as they continue to dig out of negative cashflow. However, thinking more longer-term, I suspect most sectors and US centric companies will be generally optimistic about the future as many private sector leaders we meet with anticipate strong revenue projections for 2025, combined with (hopefully) lowering interest rates, which will free up more cash. Pro-tip: For a great source of real-time economic data, be sure to subscribe to the Econ Dev Show newsletter, of which we are also a proud sponsor.
I hope we have an opportunity to talk this year. Always feel free to reach out and ask questions. And, if you are thinking about a funding campaign in Q3 or Q4 of 2024 or Q1 of 2025, now is the perfect time to begin planning and gathering information to share with your Board of Directors.
Much luck and success in 2024!