Wow, what a year 2010 has been. I started it working for a bank, but won't insult my many friends in the local banking industry by calling myself a banker.

I ended it back where I belong, putting my lifelong passion for journalism to work at this outstanding community newspaper. I am grateful that Publisher David Woronoff and Editor Steve Bouser decided to launch a weekly business section last July.

The ensuing six months have seen Moore County continue to slowly climb out of the recession, and we expect great things in 2011 from the male and female entrepreneurs who run the small businesses that drive our economy.

In that spirit, we present the following wish list for the New Year:

We wish Ray Ogden and Melanie Thompson continued success at Moore County Partners in Progress as they work with economic development officials in North Carolina to attract great companies to our neck of the woods.

We wish for continued economic development support from county government and the municipal governing boards.

We wish Patrick Coughlin and his great staff at the Moore County Chamber of Commerce continued success in providing outstanding services and benefits to the more than 800 members of the Chamber.

We wish more businesses would become Chamber members because we are stronger working together than trying to go it alone.

We wish Caleb Miles and his incredible staff at the Pinehurst-Southern Pines-Aberdeen Area Convention and Visitors Bureau continued success in drawing tourists to our great community.

We wish Gene Norton and his talented staff at the Aberdeen branch of the N.C. Employment Security Commission continued success in helping the unemployed in Moore County find jobs.

We wish the Southern Pines Business Association, Pinehurst Business Guild and Aberdeen Business Guild continued success in showcasing what their downtown business districts have to offer both tourists and locals alike.

We wish Marilyn Neely continued success at the Small Business Center in helping would-be entrepreneurs get off on the right foot, and helping current business owners grow their bottom lines.

We wish Alan Duncan continued success in helping existing businesses design training programs at Sandhills Community College that will enable them to expand, while doing the same for new companies that want to locate here.

We wish the myriad of charitable organizations in the county continued success in enlisting financial and volunteer support from local businesses and business people.

We wish more businesses and business people would support the county's charitable organizations, especially given the current state of the local economy.

We wish FirstHealth of the Carolinas and the other medical centers in Moore County continued success in growing their national reputation as outstanding providers of health care, an important quality-of-life consideration for new residents and companies.

We wish the Moore County public schools, Sandhills Community College and the numerous private institutions in the county continued success in improving the quality of education available locally, another important quality-of-life consideration.

Most of all, however, we simply wish you a happy and prosperous New Year, no matter what you do to earn a living.

Contact Ted M. Natt Jr. at ted.natt@yahoo.com.