What a difference a year makes. This time last year, like in the previous several, I really did not start thinking about The Tribune’s annual Profile edition until right around New Year’s. That is because my portion of the section always revolved around the tail end of the project working and coordinating with our mailroom staff and contracted carriers for distribution the night Profile was scheduled to leave the building.

This year’s edition, however, was filled with lots of twists and turns for our staff. It started with the transition at The Tribune in October, so I went from overseeing one facet to working with each department to ensure the project reached its potential and provided our readers and advertisers with a quality product.

While the project ramps up in October and continues through the deadline in early February; this is essentially a yearlong project developing the ideas and concepts our editorial, creative and marketing departments feel are appropriate for the edition.

Once we get to mid-January, the chaos starts until we develop the finished product before printing.

I will be honest; there were times when we weren’t sure we would finish on time. There were long days working to get interviews done and stories written, but all the credit goes to the entire staff of The Tribune for getting the product finished.

Many times, we try to plan for every contingency possible relating to a project. There are some things you would never consider, however, and that was the case this year. That was the reason for the delay from Sunday. Feb. 23 to Friday, Feb. 28. When we received the edition back from the printer, we noticed some issues. This resulted in making the decision to delay to provide our readers and advertisers a quality product.

Although we had these issues, we were able to overcome these obstacles and produce a quality 104-page product that was inside your paper this past Friday.

In the last few years, we transitioned from a traditional newspaper-style Profile edition to a magazine-style format. This allows for a longer shelf life for the product that benefits both our readers and advertisers.

The 2014 edition of Profile showcases what we feel are compelling stories, creative design and a multitude of local advertisers who feel as strongly as we do that Lawrence County residents are the ones who aid in making their business strong.

As a softball coach, I do not like to single players out because we are a team; the same typically goes for the folks I work with here at The Tribune. With a project of this scale, however, I want to take the opportunity to thank each of the members of The Tribune staff.

First, to thank Debbie Milem and Cindy Jo Staton in the circulation department who worked closely with the committed, independently contracted carriers to make certain this product reached you at home or in one of our rack or dealer locations.

Shirley Justice and Bonita Creger in classifieds along with Shawn Randolph, Gina Milum and Doug Pinkerton in our retail advertising department who worked with our advertisers to present their message to our readers. Without the support of our advertisers, this product would not be possible.

Michelle Goodman, Benita Heath, Justin Prince, Brandon Roberts, Jessica St. James and Jim Walker developed all the stories that showcase those in and around Lawrence County and region.

Kandi Thompson and Kelli Jameson in our creative services department take all of the pieces of the puzzle and work them to fit just right into the finished product.

Bo Elliott, Gary Cochran and Kevin Baker in our production department worked diligently to ensure the distribution to the carriers runs smoothly.

Ultimately, I want to thank you, the readers and advertisers who allow us to produce these projects, and we hope that you enjoyed this year’s edition.

Although we focus on the printed edition that was delivered or purchased at one of over 100 locations, we will be working over the coming days to place Profile online.

Finally, are other compelling stories out there that may not have been included? Sure there were.

If we did not include some of these items in Profile this year, we will be working hard in the the coming months to make Profile 2015 even better.

 

Josh Morrison is the general manager at The Tribune. To reach him, call 740-532-1441 ext. 16 or by email at josh.morrison@irontontribune.com.