Still Running

"Your mother and I did this act, in some hotel about nine months back. It is love that brings you here, a love that will not disappear. Georgia, honey you can count on that..."
-John Hiatt's Georgia Rae

This week marks the newsletter's five year anniversary. Granted my professional and private life have seen their share of ups and downs but I have to say that being able to produce these eight pages every week for the past five years ranks right up there with my proudest accomplishments. Thanks to your contributions and work the newsletter has not missed an issue during all that time. The company has seen more than its share of changes both internally and externally and still week after week we have managed to consistently chronicle our little corner of the world.

When we started this venture my own goal was to see this thing through five years and then turn the keys over to someone else. In every job I've held communication has been an issue. Improving communication, sharing information and allowing everyone to be heard is problematic whenever a group of people try to come together to produce a successful work environment. The idea for a company newsletter seemed like a good one and I thought if I could lay the foundation for a period of time, the usefulness would prove itself.

We haven't always been the most effective newsletter around and there still is much room for improvement. But compared to other company newsletters I have seen I dare say that week after week at the very least we are readable which can't be said is the norm for the field. This past year's issues the contributions while not as frequent as I think we'd all benefit from, have been better than ever. The sharing of information and knowledge helps everyone and makes the company stronger.

This job in many ways is the toughest I've ever had. Five years is a long time to do anything (just think of how many Batmans there have been during this time). There have been many a Saturday night where the clock creeps past midnight and I start to panic wondering what I'm going to put on page six and if what I transcribed on page three is accurate and readable. I keep my eye out throughout the week for material I think is relevant and will be enjoyable to read and to come up with enough of that material week in and week out is a challenge.

But as so often the case, the hardest work is the most rewarding. When you stick to something, when you are willing to put in the needed effort to get the work done, the sense of accomplishment is usually well worth it. My own writing and my attitude towards my place in the workforce have improved. As a company we have come a long way since 1992. It means a lot to me that I was able to contribute in a small way. At my recent ten year college reunion when I was asked what I was doing I proudly replied that I was the editor of the Cheapo newsletter.

How much longer can I do this? I don't really know. It still is so much fun to do and the thought of my last issue is a bit sad. Last winter I thought about joining a program to earn my masters degree in public administration. It was a program that would have meant taking classes on the weekends and would have meant most certainly I wouldn't have been able to continue in this job. To me it would have been a bit of a loss and I would have missed the newsletter a lot. I do hope that when I decide to step aside or am told to step aside, someone else will continue on with the work. I think the newsletter can be a very important part of our company. I would hate for you all to lose this avenue of communication.

So thank you all for the five year run. Thanks for putting up with the occasional self indulgence. Thanks for all your contributions. Someday we may even find our true name...