It’s that time of year again when we count our blessings and give thanks for the people who have made a difference in our lives. And in that spirit, we at Kane Consulting thought we’d take a moment to share our own Thanksgiving list with our community.

To the people below, and the many more who have made our 2010 an amazing year, we’d like to say, “thank you.” We appreciate your support, your wisdom and your insights.

Truly, you are the people who help make this crazy adventure we’re on totally worthwhile…

1. Andrew Banas

Andrew is the wind beneath our wings (and we bet he’s real embarrassed that we just said that). He flies under the radar a lot so sometimes we have to turn a spotlight on him (like putting him right up here at the top) and gush a bit. Andrew helps us keep the good ship KaneCo afloat and puts up with an awful lot of our drama as part of it. We love you, Andrew. Thanks for everything.

2. Brian Solis

Over the summer, Brian caved in to our unrelenting requests to come share his time and talents with the Twin Cities. Yes, he probably had better, more lucrative gigs he could have blown us off for. And yes, he’s so smart that he could have been a total prick in person if he wanted to be. But that’s just not how Brian Solis rolls. He’s a class act and hanging with him was one of the highlights of our year.

3. Katie Ware

This year, we launched a Kane Consulting business book club and our monthly salons were a delight. We’re thankful to have met so many smart, amazing and witty people along the way. We had a number of repeat salon attendees this year (we’re looking at you, Amanda Sanford and Jill Nicholson), but the gold star for attendance has to go to the wicked smart
Katie Ware. Thanks for hanging with us, Katie!

4. Gene Rebeck

It’s not often that a Myers Briggs score provides the foundation for a relationship, but with Gene, it couldn’t help but be a factor in us liking him. Gene is one of the first people in town to give us the gift of his time and attention and props for being a firm with some chops. When the introverts take over the world, we’re making Gene king.

5. Gina Kilchenman and Jenai Sele

Aloft Minneapolis is our unofficial Kane Consulting headquarters and go-to place for our events, happy hours and pretty much anything else we can think of. Many thanks to Gina and Jenai for being such nice hostesses (and for letting us browbeat them into using Tweetdeck). If you’re going to have a “home away from home” you can’t get a much more groovy one than this.

6. Jason DeBoer-Moran

Jason is the nicest man in America. No, seriously…he is impossible to anger and is pretty much nice to everyone. This superpower of his both confounds us with its mysticism and awes us with its power. In addition to being a superhero, Jason is also a great friend, colleague and educator. We look forward to teaching with him this spring and studying his zen-like resolve in the face of life’s BS. You are amazing, Jason.

7. The Lawlor Group

John Lawlor has called us part of “the Lawlor Family” and his team certainly makes it feel that way. The Lawlor peeps are a joy to work with and a group of extraordinarily nice people to boot. (Heck, even their CLIENTS are super nice…is something in the water over there?) Thanks for everything, guys.

8. Mack Collier

We met Mack a few years ago and have had fun getting to know him and watching him become a national playa since then. (That’s right, Mack, you’re famous now, you know that right?) Mack does not laugh at us when we ask stupid questions or get freaked out by our rabid introversion. And for that, he has earned us as fans for the long haul.

9. Tiger Oak Media

We’ve received some seriously amazing recognition and coverage from Tiger Oak’s publications this year. Thanks to Drew Wood for including Jen in Minnesota Business this year. Thanks to Minnesota Meetings and Events for featuring Jen in your social media issue. And thanks to Metro Magazine for selecting us as part of your Metro 100 list for 2010. We are honored, awed and grateful for your support.

10. Keith Privette and Angie Elliott

 We’re not famous or anything, but we will admit, it is seriously cool to know people who publicly pronounce themselves as our “fans.” If we had a fan club, (and we never would, cause that’s just kinda weird) we’d ask Keith and Angie to be co-Presidents. You two make us feel like we’re smart and know what we’re doing. And hell, you’re just really, really, nice people on top of that. We love you guys.

11. Beth Harte

If you want to be good, you need to watch the best. And, we watch Beth Harte an awful lot. Thanks, Beth, for being a mentor to us, (whether you know it or not). We’ve learned a lot from you this year, including how to be a social media pro AND a class act – something not a lot of people in this industry have mastered quite like you.

12. Wendy Amundson

A tweet here, a shout out there, an event attendance now and again – Wendy has been a kind and continuing supporter of Kane Consulting for a while now. And you know what, Wendy? We notice. Every time. And, we thank you. Because in the end, it’s not the fancy famous moments that make a company successful, it’s the support of people like you.

13. Pamela Muldoon

Pamela is a lot like us…but good at networking…and with some killer bangs. What a treat it is to orbit the same moons as someone else but with totally noncompetitive trajectories. We’re cooking up all sorts of fun with this smart and sassy lady for 2011 and we couldn’t be more excited.

14. Ryan May, Joey Strawn and Stacey Hood

Sure it’s cool to have a blog, but writing your own stuff in your own little corner of the world isn’t exactly “making it.” Enter “guest blogging.” This year, these three gentlemen offered us guest gigs on their blogs, opening the door for us to have some fun playing in someone else’s corner of the world. Thanks for the opportunity, Ryan, Joey and Stacey.

15. Our families

Social media never stops — 24/7/365 – and there is probably no one more aware of this than our families who signed on for this crazy lifestyle when we did. So for every time we ducked away to tweet, post or manage an emerging social firestorm, we’d like to say, “Thank you,” “Thanks for believing in us,” and, “We love you.”