I have to tell you — I’m still a little wound up from our Annual Meeting in Las Vegas last month! It was incredibly exciting to see so many of you there. The sessions were fantastic, and as always, the networking was amazing. Every year, I leave these meetings energized and inspired to bring that energy back to my team. I’m already looking forward to Orlando next year! If you hadn’t heard the news, save the date for July 12-15, 2026.

But in the meantime, it’s time to start sowing the seeds we gained at the Annual Meeting. In other words: it’s back to work. You can’t see the fruits of your labor if you don’t get your hands dirty.

If you’re wondering about all the gardening metaphors, let me share a little secret for those of you who don’t know me: I’m a bit of a pineapple nut. I love this fruit! It all started years ago when I decided to see if I could grow one. One plant turned into two… then four… and now I have over 40 pineapple plants in my Florida yard!

This year alone, I harvested about 25 pineapples. I love sharing them with friends, and I always say, “Once you’ve had one of mine, you won’t want one from the store again!”

With the Annual Meeting fresh in my mind, and my garden in front of me, I got to thinking about a life lesson we can take from this unique fruit.

Did you know the pineapple is known as a collective fruit? Each pineapple starts as a cluster of individual flowers that fuse together to form one sweet, cohesive fruit.

I think that’s amazing. So many small pieces coming together to create something greater than the sum of its parts. It reminds me a lot of AHRA. As I mentioned in my last message, AHRA is truly a collective of passionate imaging leaders. Over the past year, we’ve seen so many of you step up to help grow this incredible community — and we’ll need even more of that in the year ahead. When you get involved, you don’t just help the collective; you discover the sweetness that lies within you.

Another great example of collective effort is the work we’ve been doing with our sister imaging organizations. It’s been exciting to collaborate like never before. The power of us working together toward the common goal of strengthening imaging has been incredible. I can’t wait to see the “sweet fruit” that comes from these efforts in the coming year.

So, thank you. Thank you to every one of you who has stepped up this year — and to those who will do so in the year ahead. Collectively, we are stronger.

Until next month: Be a pineapple — stand tall, wear a crown, and be sweet on the inside.