After eight years of leadership, later today Governor Patrick will take the Lone Walk and return to the private sector. In addition to the fact that during the past 100 years only one other governor of Massachusetts (Dukakis) has served the Commonwealth for eight uninterrupted years, Governor Patrick leaves behind a long list of accomplishments that have made Massachusetts a better place to live and work.

The Governor was one of the best salesmen/spokesmen for the Commonwealth that we have had in recent history. He traveled across the state and to numerous countries on trade missions. Having joined him on the mission to Israel, I can personally attest to the positive reactions he received from countless encounters with political leaders and business representatives. Many business partnerships have resulted from these missions and we have never seen such a spike in direct flights to and from Boston and many global markets.

The Patrick Administration supported business growth, with a particular focus on the life sciences and renewable energy sectors. This resulted in a substantial surge in employment growth, making Massachusetts a national leader in these emerging fields.

Governor Patrick also oversaw one of the first top-to-bottom regulatory reevaluations for all state agencies. Nearly 2,000 regulations were reviewed to determine which regulations should be rescinded or modified. In addition to this review, a system was put into place requiring that draft regulations go through an extensive vetting process and review by A&F, the Regulatory Ombudsman, and lastly, the Governor. As a result, MassDEP led the way on regulatory reform by establishing a target list of 21 different reforms within the Department. Most of these resulted in regulatory changes that will make a substantial improvement on the cost and time for the regulated community, without diminishing environmental protection.

While Governor Patrick worked to ensure government operated at “the speed of business,” he also never lost sight of the fact that he represented all of the citizens of the Commonwealth. People mattered to him and he learned from their stories. Their experiences shaped his leadership and policy priorities. Today’s column in The Boston Globe by Shirley Leung is a perfect example of this.

So, after eight years, we thank you Governor Patrick for your unwavering commitment to the people of Massachusetts and we wish you all the best in whatever the future may hold.