Kenosha experienced profound change and challenges throughout 2020 and businesses can and will recover if they learn from them.

That was the message of the Kenosha Area Business Alliance’s Annual Meeting Tuesday morning.

To help curb the spread of COVID-19, the meeting was held virtually. Socially-distanced watch parties were conducted at Gateway Technical College, Herzing University and Carthage College.

KABA President Todd Battle said he’s proud of how the community weathered 2020 in the face of disease and historic unrest.

“I think we certainly are proud of this community and its resilience and grit,” Battle said. “Despite some considerable headwinds, a number of major projects have advanced and economic development continues to have quite a strong role in our community’s development.”

However, Battle also wanted to “self-assess” the county’s performance. He said the county lags behind other similarly sized communities when it comes to growth in per capita income, educational attainment and population growth, among other things.

“There are certainly areas where we’ve got some work to do,” he said. “As we look forward, for us, the focus needs to be on how we can create a stronger community and economy that’s more inclusive and equitable for all. … There’s a lot of work to do to make the community what we want it to be. We’re committed to that.”

Jon Roberts, principal and managing director of Austin-based TIP Strategies, provided the keynote speech. He said the country should learn from the 2020 pandemic because its effects will remain with Americans for the foreseeable future.

“I think one of the important things to be aware of when looking at the effects of the pandemic and its effect on the world is that it accelerated the future,” Roberts said.

Read more at Kenosha.com.