It’s not easy to sum up the wild year that was 2018 in a few words, but we asked a bunch of Greater Washington’s top executives to give it a try.

From M&A dealmaking to political stalemates, from federal contracting surges to blows against journalism, our executives’ experiences throughout the year spanned the spectrum.

Now as 2018 draws to a close, they talked about which moments stood out for them as the biggest highs and lows for themselves and their organizations — their wins and losses, successes and disappointments, their business growth and their business shifts. And they offered up their key takeaways for what promises to be a memorable year.

Read their responses, edited for length and clarity, in the article’s gallery.