We have all heard that the birth of a child can be one of the most special days a family experiences. The same can be said for our family here at The Tribune, as we have a special place in our hearts each year when the Profile edition is published.

It is definitely a labor of love, with ups and downs in the project that take several months to complete. I am certainly big on analogies and sports, and tend to relate things to both.

For the team at The Tribune, our Profile edition can be viewed much like a sports season. Almost immediately after a Profile edition goes out the door to your porch, we begin gathering information and reflect on what we can do to improve. Then, in October (the pre-season) we start to develop the plans for what we want the next edition to look like.

November and December are viewed for us like the first half of the season, and can be exciting. But the fun for our team definitely starts when we move toward our last set of deadlines and ultimately send the project off to the printer early in February each year.

Were there stressful, adjustments and some somewhat frantic times throughout the process? Absolutely, but our wonderful team takes all those in stride to bring you, the readers and advertisers, a quality product.

The 2016 version of Profile provides you compelling stories about people throughout Lawrence County and the region with our theme called “A Day in the Life.” The stories included this year allow readers to get a behind the scenes look at people and industries that we may see or think about, but don’t really see what goes into making them happen.

Ultimately, this project truly takes our entire team each year, and I want to thank our staff for their efforts in making this a quality publication each year for our readers and advertisers.

First, thanks goes to our editorial department that works for several months to gather, write and add the art element to each story. My thanks go out Michelle Goodman, Benita Heath, Jessica St. James, Jim Walker, Dustin Melchior and Heath Harrison, whose stories and photos are featured in this year’s edition.

Next, I want to thank our advertising staff of Shawn Randolph, Doug Pinkerton, Sarah Simmons, Shirley Watson and Bonita Creger, who work closely with over 100 advertising partners to present their products and services.

Our creative services department of Kandi Thompson and Kelli Jameson build the ads and fix all the puzzle pieces together into the final product you see in today’s paper.

Also, our production department of Bo Elliott, Gary Cochran, Jay Wiseman and Brandon Dixon, who work over several days to ensure all the packaging and getting the papers to our independent contracted carriers for delivery go as smoothly as possible.

Our circulation department of Cindy Jo Staton and Kathi Caldwell, who work with our committed carriers to make sure the paper ultimately gets to your newspaper box, porch, and rack and dealers locations.

Last, but certainly not least, is a thank you to our readers and advertising partners who afford us the opportunity to continue to put our products out each day. We hope that you, our extended family, feel the same about this year’s edition of Profile.