A year can make a big difference.

In my world of covering business news in Ann Arbor, I’m marking the change by the types of questions I’m getting about our annual Deals of the Year event.

Last year I heard, over and over, variations on the same query: “Did you even have enough deals?”

Coming off of the global banking crisis - and still reeling with economic uncertainty - many in this community considered the format of Deals of the Year and couldn’t imagine what businesses could have achieved enough to earn a nomination.

After all, we give 7 awards , each of while requires a field of 3 nominations each. And we find a company of the year and executive of the year, for a total of nine that make the cut as “Deals of the Year.”

Last year, I spent time assuring the community that we actually had a fair number of competitive choices for these awards. I recall compiling a list of about 70 potential contenders.

That news seemed to surprise people. But, especially after the awards were announced at the gala event, many of us also took comfort in the level of credibility, of risk and of payback witnessed among many businesses in our community even amid upheaval.

This year, I’m not getting the questions about how many deals may be vying for the awards. People are happy for the nominees, telling me who they think will (or should) win, and giving me heads up on what I should be looking at for next year’s list.

They’re not expressing concern over our shared economic condition. And I’m not hearing business leaders weigh our nominees, as a group, like they did last year.

There seems to be a quiet acceptance that things are moving in the right direction. And, as evidence of that, the “Deals” contenders reflect what we all hope is renewed confidence and a reason to hope for recovery.

But it also seems like no one wants to verbalize that.

So, at the risk of being an economic jinx, I’m will to say it: This year’s list, which reflects business success born from the worst financial climate in my lifetime, signals to me that the Ann Arbor area is rebounding.

Not all sectors may be feeling it. And it could take some time before stability reaches into every business.

But it’s also important to recognize the benefits that we all can share from watching successes in our midst.

That’s what I see when I read the list of nominees.

And that’s what I’ll be thinking about when our presenters unveil the winners at the event on Nov. 5.

For information on Deals of the Year, click here.

Paula Gardner is Business News Director of AnnArbor.com. Contact her at 734-623-2586 or by email. Sign up for the weekly Business Review newsletter, distributed every Thursday, here.