Growing with Westfield: Leadership, Legacy and the Power of Community

In this episode of Luminate: Navigating the Unknown Through Creative Leadership, host Sarah Hempstead sits down with Matthew Deck, Director of Facilities and Events for the City of Westfield, Indiana and Audra Blasdel, Waypoint Strategies Division Lead.

Deck shares how his deep-rooted love for community, inspired by his mother and mentors like former mayor Andy Cook, has shaped his leadership journey. From overseeing Grand Park—one of the largest sports complexes in the U.S.—to planning community-defining events and fostering a culture of service, Deck speaks candidly about the values that drive him. He reflects on personal growth, public service, and the importance of building spaces that bring people together.

Key highlights:

• Lessons in servant leadership: Deck recalls how witnessing leaders pick up trash or organize roadside cleanups instilled in him a humble, action-oriented approach.
• Grand Park’s transformation and future: What started as a bold idea now draws over 5 million visitors annually. Deck shares how the park is reshaping Westfield’s identity and economy.
• Investing in the next generation: From scholarships to mentorship, Deck emphasizes the importance of giving back and encouraging young people to love and serve their city.
• Balancing passion and purpose: Whether organizing large-scale events or raising daughters who understand the power of a simple thank-you, Deck brings intention to everything he does.
• Advice for aspiring public leaders: Love your city, surround yourself with good people and stay physically and mentally strong. Leadership starts with showing up—authentically and consistently.

Tune in for a conversation that will inspire anyone who believes in the power of community, creativity and committed leadership to shape a brighter future.

Subscribe to Luminate: Navigating the Unknown Through Creative Leadership to stay inspired and informed!

Transcript

Sarah Hempstead: [00:00:00] Welcome to Luminate, navigating The Unknown Through Creative Leadership. I'm Sarah Hempstead, CEO, and principal in charge at Schmidt Associates. And today I'm joined by two special guests, my friend and colleague Blasdel, who leads our division of Waypoint Strategies. And we are joined with somebody whose leadership journey has been shaped by Deep Blood, first community, and a lifelong passion for bringing people together.

Matthew Deck, the Director of Facilities and Events for the city of Westfield. Whether he's managing one of the largest sports complexes in the entire country, planning major events, or simply making Westfield feel like home. Matt leaves with intention, integrity, and heart. We'll talk about what it means to grow with your city, how leadership evolves through service, and why Grand Park has become much more than a destination.

Matt, welcome to the show. Glad you're here. 

Matthew Deck: Oh, thank you, Sarah. That introduction was amazing. I really, I'm so excited to be here and to share more about Westfield and what we are doing and why I have such a passion for our community. 

Sarah Hempstead: So let's start at the beginning. You didn't, you didn't grow up in Westfield, but you've been there an awfully long time. [00:01:00] 

So what brought you there and what makes you stay? 

Matthew Deck: I'm a lifelong Hamilton copier. That is not a word, but we're gonna go with it. I did grow up in Carmel, very fortunate to have grown up in Carmel, so I am a. Greyhound alum up at Purdue University, so boiler up there. Then after graduation came back to the community, was in Carmel for a short while, and then ended up in Fishers for a couple of years.

And it was 2004 that my wife and I and our oldest daughter at the time moved to Westfield. And at that time we had our youngest daughter and the family was ready to go and we, I had a mother and a brother already living there and just had some other close family and friends in the area. And that was really the motivation.

And in seeing that Westfield. Was really starting to develop and grow even back in 2004, and we just felt like that was the right place to be at the time. 

Sarah Hempstead: So for people who maybe aren't so familiar with the north side of Indianapolis and what it is like, it has changed a ton in your lifetime alone. So you [00:02:00] can give people a little bit of an overview of the North side in general and Westfield specifically as it's changed in the last 40 years.

Matthew Deck: Yeah, definitely. I think that's a result of Indianapolis and what a vibrant growing city that Indianapolis is. Folks are expanding into all of the suburbs and the surrounding areas. I was very fortunate and blessed to have grown up in Hamilton County, and that county certainly is seeing a majority of that growth starting with Carmel.

And then if you consider, when you talk about looking at my entire life, fishers was a tiny town when I was growing up and in high school and now over a hundred thousand people. Carmel well over a hundred thousand people. And Westfield moving close to, I would say 80,000 in the next couple of years. It's just.

They're safe suburbs with a variety of opportunities for families, and I think that's what a lot of people are looking for. If they work in Indianapolis, they'd like to be able to get away, connect into a safe community, and have a lot of OP opportunities for their families. 

Sarah Hempstead: [00:03:00] So we're gonna talk about the opportunities you've had to shape Westfield and shape the north side, but growing up there, it shaped you too.

So what has the city given you and your family. 

Matthew Deck: As I mentioned, opportunities, just a safe working environment. So whether that was, and we'll talk about my time at Tradewinds for 25 years and now my time with the city. We're also talking about a fantastic school system, whether that's Carmel or whether that's Westfield.

You're talking about a top 10 school system and. So what has that provided my family? Anytime a family can say that, Hey, my kids have had the best opportunity with regards to their education, and when you know that you're setting your kids up for success, that has to be the number one, I think, benefit of living in a community like Westfield.

Sarah Hempstead: So even before now, you've had lots of leadership positions in Westfield. So what, what drew you to serving your community in that way? How has your involvement kinda shaped your approach to leadership in general? 

Matthew Deck: Yes. [00:04:00] Love this question has to do with my 25 years of Tradewinds, which was a logistics company that I worked at.

One of the owners was Andy Cook, who was the first mayor of Westfield. He spent one year as a town counselor and then. Westfield became a city, and he was their inaugural mayor. Served four, four year terms, and I had a front row seat at seeing how he served the community, and I had a great deal of respect for Andy.

Andy was somewhat of a second father to me. I learned a lot of business skills from him, interpersonal skills, and just a love of community. I can go back to my early years at Tradewinds when our office was in Carmel. Andy had us adopt a highway. We had a two mile stretch of Keystone Avenue. We were responsible for cleaning that two mile stretch.

And sure enough, Andy had us out there in vests and we, it literally took, I wanna say, five hours for four of us to clean both sides of Keystone Avenue. I will [00:05:00] never forget how exhausted I was, and that was Andy through action. Showing me his love for community. While he was mayor of Westfield, he could be seen in the middle of a roundabout picking up trash.

That was a true love of community. He wasn't doing it for a photo opportunity or for recognition. He just genuinely loved the community, and I really organically learned how to love my community through watching his service to Westfield. 

Sarah Hempstead: I love that story so much Bec, because it speaks to genuine leadership being willing to do absolutely anything that you ask any of your employees or people who look up to you to do too.

Matthew Deck: Exactly. And w. A book that I know is out now, leaders Eat Last. He and I would even indicate Mayor Willis both emulate that philosophy and it is very easy to get behind a leader who follows that philosophy. You'd run through a brick wall form. 

Sarah Hempstead: So I hate to jump right to Grand Park and I'm sure we'll get back to it, but you've said Grand [00:06:00] Park feels like the crown jewel of Westfield and I've spent many hours as the parent of soccer players at Grand Park.

So tell me what makes it special to you. Personally, not just professionally. Oh, we'll get into what it is and all the things that are cool about it here. 

Matthew Deck: This might be my favorite question. I could spend 30 minutes talking about Grand Park, but I remember it may even been all the way back 2012, maybe a couple of years before it, it even opened when it was just an idea and Andy shared that idea with those that were close to him, indicated that what they wanted to do with the park and having grown up.

In a family that did play sports, basketball and baseball, and had traveled to so many tournaments, just imagining 400 acres filled with almost 60 fields. My thought was all of the families that are gonna be coming to Westfield, that why is youth sports so popular? Because parents and grandparents love to live vicariously through their children and bringing the truth so true.

And [00:07:00] bringing all of these people to Westfield. It just. It was a warm feeling. It felt like this is gonna be a happy place, it's gonna be successful. And I literally looked into the future, let's say even early retirement and thought. How cool it would be just to walk through the park and just stop and watch a game, and then go to another game, and then go to the other side of the park, the field side of the park, or the diamond side of the park.

And just the opportunity to be able to enjoy youth sports from here until I retire was incredibly exciting to me, and it really has become our crown jewel. A lot of people doubted whether Grand Park would be successful or not, and it has proven in its first 11 years of existence that it's been way more than successful.

Andy. Gave a talk before Grand Park opened and said, I believe that he was super excited. He said, we estimate that this park will bring 350,000 people a year to Grand Park, and I think it was 2023, five and a half million people [00:08:00] visited Grand Park. So it, its purpose is to drive economic growth within the city.

It's not necessarily to blow away the p and l. It's really to drive the economic development in and around Westfield, and it's already done that, and it's continuing to do that. We have such an exciting future ahead of us with the Grand Park District, with our new deal with Grand Park Sports and Entertainment.

We're gonna be putting businesses, restaurants, entertainments, activations, all of this in the middle of Grand Park, and that's the economic development that the park was intended to create. 

Sarah Hempstead: Do you have a story or a specific moment that that sticks with you where you can say, I, it, it's gonna be successful, or It is successful because 

Matthew Deck: I was enjoying dinner with my family on the beach in Naples.

I, I don't remember the name of the restaurant, but clearly hundreds. Even thousands of miles away from from Grand Park. And what do we hear from the table behind us is a discussion [00:09:00] revolving around Grand Park. And so when you know that you're in a completely random environment, states away and people are talking about your community, that you know it's had an impact.

It is having an impact and it is successful. 

Sarah Hempstead: So lemme pivot a little bit to community Connection because. No matter what you've been doing, whether it was Tradewinds or or working with the park system, anything you've been doing, it's clear that your role really centers around people and bringing people together to accomplish a mission.

When you talk about connections and developing that kind of community partnership, where did that passion come from? Was that something your family did that you grew up doing? Was that a teacher or a mentor? Where did that commitment to? Community driven partnerships come from? 

Matthew Deck: I think it definitely started at a young age.

My, my mom, who is my hero. When anyone asks if you could have dinner with anyone in the world, who would it be? My answer is always my mother. She is an incredibly strong, wonderful human [00:10:00] being. If I could only be a fraction of who she is as an individual, I know I'll be successful. She definitely instilled in me at an early age, a love for community, a love for local government, a love for government in general, our country, our military.

Just having an overall respect and appreciation for where I am and our responsibility in taking care of where we're at for future generations. Definitely started with my mom and then, as I mentioned earlier, in watching Mayor Cook. His role with the city of Westfield. That's where I truly gained a passion for Westfield itself in wanting to see the city be successful and wanting to contribute to that success in absolutely any way that I could.

So it was a thrill when Mayor Willis invited me to be a part of his team. It was really a kind of a dream come true again, I think we may get to talking about my job specifically. But him bringing that [00:11:00] opportunity to me was just incredibly exciting and I'll be forever grateful for that. For sure. 

Sarah Hempstead: So do you have the opportunity now, or how do you have the opportunity now to bring that value for community service to other young people who may not have the, your moms in your life?

How do you think about bringing that to the Gen Zs who really could be activated into that community service? 

Matthew Deck: Yeah, certainly. I think through any event, um, making that event as as positive as possible and truly trying to make sure people understand just why they are so fortunate to be in Westfield and all of the great opportunities that Westfield provides, I think is a part of that.

I, I, I have the opportunity to serve on the Westfield Education Foundation and even work with some young people on that foundation and our mission and goal. With the Westfield Education Foundation is to raise money for scholarships for, for kids who are looking for more opportunity outside of high school.

And so I think through that organization [00:12:00] I also have the opportunity to emphasize just how important it is to get involved in community, to do what you can to help others. Say the foundation is able to give a kid a small scholarship and then they able to go on to school. They still, they have appreciation for that scholarship and so when they.

When they're ready to graduate, maybe they're more drawn to coming back to Westfield, and that's what we want. We want people to live, play, work in Westfield. We want graduates of either trade schools or colleges to be motivated to come back to their community and serve in their community as they have been served in their youth.

Sarah Hempstead: Absolutely. Absolutely. 

Audra Blasdel: Uh, this has been great, Matt. I kind of wanna start to make that journey or, or make that switch over to talking about your professional journey. But you mentioned something earlier about sports and playing sports and so if we can kinda use that as a launching point to say kinda how do you feel like those sports in those early years kinda shaped your leadership and started to play into those 25 years you spent at trade [00:13:00] winds?

Matthew Deck: I think the most important value in sports is the concept of team. I think more than anything, your experiences within a team. Gives you a leg up with regards to whatever you end up doing in your life. It builds comradery. You learn to rely on each other. You learn to trust each other. You celebrate each other's successes, and you are there for each other's failures.

I think sports can be one of the greatest lessons that that really anyone has in being a part of a team. 

Audra Blasdel: I as, as also a former athlete. I completely agree and I always What? 

Matthew Deck: What sports era? 

Audra Blasdel: Oh gosh. I was swimming in golf. Okay. Okay. Nice. Yeah. What sports for you? Doing all the seniors here? 

Matthew Deck: It was never terribly good, but I did enjoy. I think the one curse and blessing that I had and still have is I'm a little competitive. So 

Audra Blasdel: Saying it works both directions for 

Matthew Deck: Sure. This past Sunday night was very difficult [00:14:00] in watching our beloved Pacers and our beloved Tyree Halliburton go down. That was, that was very difficult.

Audra Blasdel: was heartbreaking. It was for sure there were, there were tears shed in the Blazedale household, potentially by the youngest member of the Blazedale household. 

Matthew Deck: I, I'm sure there was, and no one will know if I shed any tears because. I'm so competitive. I have to watch intense games like that by myself.

So I could have cried, I could have not. Nobody will ever know and I won't tell. 

Audra Blasdel: There we go. Yep. There we go. Having also worked in public service and gotten to spend some time with you recently, public service and making that transition from what was more of a private company into that, what lessons have you transferred over?

What are those transferable skills and those transferable leadership lessons that kind of made that transition with you? 

Matthew Deck: I certainly learned a lot from my years at Tradewinds. I think one aspect would be availability. I, we, being in a small family business 24 7, availability was always [00:15:00] something that was instilled in me.

And certainly then moving into this current role, if I'm needed, whenever, wherever I make sure that I'm available. Communication, always making sure that I respond in a timely fashion, whether that be a text or an email. What have you, communicating is essential. Being in the trucking and logistics industry was challenging, and when I joined Tradewinds, the owner, Ben, at the time, both he and I were in our mid twenties.

Industry-wide, we were very young and we found ourselves in a variety of no negotiations with people that were a lot older. And so we had to grow up pretty quick. And we certainly learned confidence, being able to hold our own, the ability to negotiate and just overall, again, I come back to that word communicate.

And I would say those have been the traits that I was able to bring from my, my private service over to my public service. 

Audra Blasdel: That makes complete sense. And when we think about you making this transition into an operations role [00:16:00] and also endow into also a hospitality role with handling the director of facilities and events, kinda what excites you most about getting to do those things now?

Matthew Deck: I love events. Okay, let's just start there. I love going to events. I used to volunteer at events. I love having a good time with family and friends. I love being in front of a crowd, and so being able to do this professionally. I joked early on that I couldn't believe they were paying me for this. I wouldn't say that now.

It's gotten to be some long hours at times, and having gone through some of these events, it is very difficult work, but I certainly enjoy it. From a facility aspect, certainly have taken a lot of experience from my time at Tradewinds where Ben and I had to be in charge of everything with regards to the company.

Wouldn't say that was my strongest area of expertise, but that's why I'm super excited to be partnering with Waypoint Strategies. Who that is their area of expertise. And you guys have brought a great deal of comfort to [00:17:00] me in knowing that we will be moving forward in the most efficient, effective manner possible.

Audra Blasdel: Yeah. We really appreciate the opportunity to work with you all. 'cause we know that you've got a lot of moving pieces and parts right now. We were talking for sure before we even started today opening a parking garage and the stress that goes with that and the focus that takes. And so now that you're also operating Grand Park as a, as a.

Basically a P three or a public private partnership. What has changed in that approach? What have we needed? What has had to have a rethink from that collaborative standpoint? 

Matthew Deck: Yeah, I think that's a, a work in process. Grand Park for its first 10, 11 years was managed by a Grand Park team who were city employees.

It was all one big collaborative effort, and so as of January 1st, 2025, now Grand Park Sports and Entertainment. It is the operator of the park. The city is leasing operations to GPSE, and so my role with Grand Park is essentially the liaison between the [00:18:00] city and GPSE, and whereas things may have been an afterthought with how it was going to function in the past, now it requires a lot more thought because we're working with a private business now who is responsible for generating a profit?

Who is responsible for growing that park and it re. Again, we come back to communication. It requires a high level of communication. You have to be very upfront. Both parties have to be willing to listen to each other and try to find a solution somewhere in the middle if there is a difference of opinion.

Audra Blasdel: I can imagine that making that move. I've worked in a variety of roles where we've had both insourced and outsourced components of. Operation and that it, it's a whole different working style that kind of has to come about and take place. 

Matthew Deck: For sure. 

Audra Blasdel: Prior to that transition though, we all had the great experience of being in Indianapolis during the solar eclipse, and you all held quite the event up there at Grand Park.

I believe it was at [00:19:00] Grand Park. Yes it was. And you know, that took a whole level of planning that had to be on somewhat of a different level, maybe equal to that of a once in a lifetime solar eclipse event. 

Matthew Deck: The definition of collaboration, most of if not all of that planning occurred before I even even started at the city.

Kristen Mix of our Westfield welcome team. She headed up the Westfield side of that planning aspect and just did an amazing job. She collaborated with the Grand Park team. They were still a part of the city who Col they both collaborated with Hamilton County. It was just a, an amazing collaboration of a variety of departments and people.

It did. We again, we're talking a year and a half, maybe even longer, of a variety of meetings and making sure that event. Drew in as many people as possible and was as good of an experience as could have been. This last January's Lantern Awards, which is an award ceremony in Westfield, the solar eclipse event, did win event [00:20:00] of the year.

And again, that's a credit to Kristen and Kelly and the entire Westfield welcome team, who with their collaborative partners absolutely knocked that event out of the park. 

Audra Blasdel: Yeah, it seemed like it was a really just amazing moment for the city. 

Matthew Deck: It was, it definitely was something that we were very proud of and very appreciative of the universe.

Aligning that total solar eclipse Right in our path. 

Audra Blasdel: Right in our path. 

Matthew Deck: Absolutely. Yes. Yes. 

Audra Blasdel: And I think that when we start to look forward and, but also wanna take a minute to, to reflect like on the growth and what that means and what that means for you. And we kind of wanna talk a little bit about what legacy do you hope to leave as a leader?

And I say that knowing full will and good that the sign outside your door de Noci was a civic treasure. As it does, I've done this to yes, this entire podcast. Go mention that that puts outside your door treasure as Pacific Treasure. What legacy do you hope to leave? If I 

Matthew Deck: have to explain first [00:21:00] that it was early in my tenure with the city, that somehow I ended up in charge of giving a tour to several Japanese exchange students who were visiting and wanted to see some of our landmarks in Westfield.

And, uh, perhaps due to my personality or by default, I was at the front of the bus explaining Westfield history and some different Westfield landmarks and Michael in our communications department who was taking some photos and videos and. A fan, fantastic, amazing individual, looked up at me near the end of the presentation as I'm trying to explain who A of Bales is and all these other historic figures who perhaps a group that had no idea what I was saying, but I was still putting a lot of energy and effort into it.

Michael looked up to me and very quietly said, Matt, you truly are a civic treasure. It would've been a lot of sarcasm in that. But then Michael was in charge of the signs that go outside the office, and that's what he printed me, and that's what will stay for indefinitely. I hope that [00:22:00] my legacy is enjoying eating at a, an establishment in either downtown Westfield or the Grand Park District in 15 or 20 years, and just being able to look around at all the amazing development.

And I want to be able to say to myself that, Hey, I played a small role in that. I, I don't know how big of a role that was. But look at Westfield, look at us. Look at where we've come. We've become a, a tourist destination and even into the future, even more of a tourism destination. And just being able to sit back, relax, smile, and know that I played a small part in that.

And if my family is able to think that as well, or any close family or friends, I hope that's my legacy for sure. 

Sarah Hempstead: When you talk about your family, I know you have daughters, right? I do. My daughters are strenuously, not impressed by 

Matthew Deck: Small do. But, but thank you for saying that. That's okay. 

Sarah Hempstead: It's all right.

It's nato. But eventually, like I, I have to believe that they're watching right? And that [00:23:00] someday they'll carry forward some of the things that, that we've tried to teach 'em. What do you hope? What do you hope your daughters carry forward? 

Matthew Deck: Sad. Sarah, thank you for that affirmation that maybe I'm so glad this is what I have to look for.

Yes. Maybe it's not a lost cause. Maybe something is getting through. I, I don't know. Very proud of both of my daughters when I look at them now. My, my oldest has told me before, dad, I, I learned how to tell people thank you because of you. Oh, and seeing you say thank you all the time, that's been something that I've picked up on and hopefully being respectful of others and looking people in the eye, that sort of thing.

And my youngest, she is our extrovert. I'd almost say that maybe I, I learned from her, even she spoke at her graduation in front of three or 4,000 people and completely blew me away, and I thought she can do that. She came from me. Maybe I could do that, or maybe do that more, or maybe do it at the level that she just did.

I think as we move along, [00:24:00] I'm hoping that they have a love for their country, a love for their Lord. I'm hoping that they're always respectful of where they live. They do their very best to give back. They understand the importance of networking and never burning a bridge. The importance of communication and just a love of each other and family.

And if any of those things end up being the case, then I certainly, if we'll continue to be a proud father, 

Audra Blasdel: that's really great. I'm, I just keep blogging away all these things that's to, to get ready for. 

Matthew Deck: Yeah. 

Audra Blasdel: Um, with a 9-year-old who still thinks I'm cool, but we're starting to reach the, I'm holding onto those.

If somebody was getting ready to step into a role like yours where you're balancing city operations, events, managing people, all the demand and the demands of life, right? Yeah. You have daughters, wife, family, all those things. What advice would you give them? [00:25:00] 

Matthew Deck: I wouldn't take the role unless you love your city.

I feel like that's essential. I feel like you won't be able to give your best to the role if you don't love the city in which you are working, and I have the pleasure and privilege of being able to live there as well. But yeah, I think you need to have a certain level of pride and love for the municipality in which you might be working in.

If that's not there, just as with any job, if you accept a job that you don't like, at least then it's not gonna go well. You're not gonna be able to give your best. It's certainly not gonna satisfy you. So there definitely needs to be a level of, I don't know, admiration, appreciation for the role in which you're gonna take.

And if there is. You'd definitely be successful. 

Sarah Hempstead: I know you love your city and I know you love your job, and I also know that balancing all of all of what you do is not easy. So what's the trick? So getting rebalanced, getting centered so that you have enough energy to keep doing it every day. 

Matthew Deck: A couple of [00:26:00] things.

Surround yourself with great people and great companies. That's number one. If you get into a situation where you're trying to do it all yourself, you won't be able to keep up. Um, and so that's why I, I'm. Super excited with my staff and the people that I get to work with. I'm super excited about my partnership with Waypoint again, because, uh, companies like Waypoint make me look good.

That's just, I don't know how else to say it. So, surrounding yourself with good people and good consultants, good companies. That's number one. I think staying active outside of work. So I exercise regularly. I've been with a, a triathlon trainer. I am not training for a triathlon, I wanna make that perfectly clear, but a gentleman by the name of Paul Plummer of PXP Endurance, and it was really a little over four years ago that he helped get me off the couch to get me active.

Through that physical fitness, being able to gain a much higher level of mental and emotional [00:27:00] health, confidence, energy. And still to this day, I say when I'm in one of his classes having trouble to breathe and struggling to get through, and others have said it as well, and I'm sure that everyone out there can relate.

I do it to get through the week, it is that endorphin release. It is that just that effort and that energy and expending it in such a positive way that helps you manage the stress of how stressful all of our jobs are. And so I'd say those are the two things that help me balance it against surrounding yourself with good people and good companies, and then trying to stay as, as physically, emotionally, and mentally healthy as possible.

Sarah Hempstead: So that goes perfectly into the question that I ask everybody to wrap up on the how do we stay as mentally healthy as possible? What's the one book that you are currently reading or the book that you recommend that everybody reads? Because it will help them do whatever it is that they do better? 

Matthew Deck: I definitely say leaders eat.

[00:28:00] Last that I mentioned earlier, I have just gotten into that book. I've heard it mentioned several times. But I'm seeing it played out in the environment that I'm in. Uh, our Deputy Mayor, Danielle Carey Tolen, my immediate boss, uh, certainly reflects that. And then our mayor, Scott Willis, who 30 years in the Marines retired a colonel, can remember specific situations where I have come to him with a challenging issue and he has said, let's do this.

And he's come up with a solution. Basically to make the other party happy yet to give me some cover. And I think with his military background, that comes very naturally to him. Mm-hmm. But I think he really emphasizes that leaders eat last mentality and why I think. I know he's the absolute, very best leader for our city, and I can just hope and pray that he has a desire to continue to do this.

That politics can be very exhausting. But as long as the Mayor Willis is at the helm, I know Westfield is [00:29:00] going to soar into some unbelievable heights of success and growth and development. 

Sarah Hempstead: That was awesome. Thank you so much for joining us today. Your leadership story is a powerful reminder that where we serve, where we live, we help shape not just a city, but a sense of belonging for our families and for our communities.

For our listeners, go visit Grand Park. Go visit Westfield. There's always something fun to do, and don't forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at Schmidt Associates. And if you haven't already, subscribe to Illuminate navigating the Unknown through creative leadership so that you never miss an episode.

And until next time, keep navigating the unknown with creativity and confidence. Thanks, Matt. 

Matthew Deck: Thanks so much.