IWith Thanksgiving in the rear view mirror, now is when many National Football League teams start thinking ahead to February in anticipation of the Super Bowl.

Likewise, each of us here at The Ironton Tribune are looking toward our February “Super Bowl” — our massive Profile special edition that showcases many of the great people, places and happenings in the Tri-State.

And while we won’t win any million-dollar accolades or walk home with gaudy rings that would blind you in the sunlight, it truly is our proudest achievement of the year and something for which we prepare for months in advance.

Last year’s edition was 112 pages and featured more than 70 stories and more than 100 advertisements from the local business community.

Each year we try to improve on our successes from the year before — no small feat since the Profile edition has been named the best special section by the Associated Press nearly every year.

Based upon your — the readers’ — feedback, we believe that we have been able to do that each and every year.

Last year, many said the section was our best ever.

Now, we are already hard at work looking to top that honor.

Profile may not hit your doorsteps until the last Sunday in February but it is a four-month project for our staff of 25 employees.

The newsroom is already hard at work finding interesting stories and photos that spotlight some of the great things going on in our community.

Our sales staff is already out on the streets working with advertisers to take advantage of this once-a-year opportunity to be included in the most read edition that we will publish.

The business community has embraced this project for years and truly makes this section what it is. Without ad support, we would be limited on how many pages we have to feature the Tri-State.

With great advertising support, there is no limit to the things we can achieve with the section.

The production staff is fine-tuning the press and preparing for some long days to make the paper look as good as it possibly can.

The circulation staff is already thinking about new and exciting ways to get the product out to the readers and ensure that everyone has a chance to share in this special project.

And we want Profile to be interactive. Do you have a great idea for a story? Give us a call. Do you want to use this as a platform to get out some special advertising message? Let us know.

We often refer to Profile as a yearbook of sorts for the community. And that is a fitting way to describe it.

Just like in football, we have a goal line. Our goal is to provide a snapshot of all the things that make Lawrence County special.

We can’t wait to get to the end zone and see the final score.

Michael Caldwell is publisher of The Ironton Tribune. To reach him, call (740) 532-1445 ext. 24 or by e-mail at mike.caldwell@irontontribune.com.