Sometimes you have to take a step back to realize how quickly our world is changing. Think back to 2008. Apple’s iPhone was only a year old and the app store had just been rolled out, marking the dawn of smartphones. Soon, we had instant access to ridesharing services, rental properties, social media, and many more amazing tools that we now take for granted. Everything from our daily habits to our entire worldview can shift as quickly as the technology we’ve come to rely on.

Capital One’s Financial Services division has been based here in DFW since 2008, and over the past eleven years, I’ve seen first-hand the speed at which advanced technologies have reshaped some of the fundamental ways we interact with our customers. When used in the right way, these high-tech resources can enrich our lives and invite new ways of thinking about problems big and small. In today’s digital-first world, visionary entrepreneurs, creative problem solvers and engaged business and community leaders have powerful tools at their disposal, and the entire region stands to benefit.

Through our Future Edge® program, Capital One strives to provide communities across North Texas access to the skills, tools, and resources needed to succeed in the 21st century. And so on October 7, we’re convening local nonprofits, government officials, corporate allies and community leaders to our campus for our 4th Annual Reimagine Communities Summit.

This day-long event is a time to come together and share ideas around key technologies that every organization can benefit from, regardless of size or budgetary constraints. For example, we’ll discuss how attendees can combine human-centered design and the latest digital innovations to further elevate our communities as great places to live, work and create.

I have always believed that vibrant businesses and vibrant communities go hand in hand. It’s on all of us to step up and take action for the sake of moving forward together.

Past investments in technology and the arts by visionaries like Margot and Ross Perot continue to pay incredible dividends for all of us in North Texas. The region is strong today due in no small part to their efforts, but we must continue planting seeds so that the next generation will see continued growth and prosperity. We need proactive leaders who can get things done—those who don’t just dream big, but are also ready to do the hard work.

What hasn’t changed in the past 11 years? DFW’s incredible story of growth. We were adding over 100,000 residents per year in 2008 and ten years later, that pace hasn’t slowed. All told, we’ve grown by more than a million people over the past decade, and DFW’s population now stands at 7.5 million today—the fourth largest metro in the country, and arguably one of the best.

Capital One is committed to solidifying Dallas-Fort Worth as a destination for top talent, spurring continued growth as a world-renowned technology hub while nurturing the leaders of tomorrow. By combining our efforts with other stakeholders in the region, we know that we can make a much bigger impact on the communities across North Texas. I hope you’ll join us.

Sanjiv Yajnik is President of Capital One Financial Services and serves on the Capital One Executive Committee. Within the community, he serves as Chairman of the Collin County Business Alliance (CCBA), Chairman of the nationally-acclaimed Dallas Symphony Association and sits on the Board of the National Academy Foundation and serves as its Treasurer. Sanjiv believes that vibrant businesses and vibrant communities go hand in hand, and he is passionate about turbo-charging innovation across Dallas-Fort Worth.

ABOUT THE EVENT

What: Reimagine Communities Summit
When: Monday, October 7, 2019, 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Where: Capital One Conference Center, 8036 Dominion Parkway, Plano, TX 75024
Tickets: FREE while supplies last. RSVP and review the agenda here.