Hi everyone and a very Happy New Year!
Can you believe it’s 2024 already? As I write this, I can’t help but marvel at the passage of time. I’ve been in the publishing industry since 1985—a whopping 39 years—and what a journey it has been!
When I started my career, the world was a different place. No computers, no cell phones, and the internet was a concept that seemed light-years away. Smoking was not just a personal choice; it was a common occurrence in offices and even on planes! I find myself chuckling at the memory of those days, where the office atmosphere was thick with smoke and no one batted an eye.
Back in the mid-’80s, I worked for a landscaping magazine, a far cry from the digital landscapes we navigate today. Our tools were typewriters, not laptops, and communication meant face-to-face meetings or landline calls. I recall the days when we took clients out for martini lunches and navigating back to the office required skillful balance!
The camaraderie in the workplace was something out of “Mad Men,” a TV series that resonated with me because, in many ways, we lived those experiences. Secretaries were the unsung heroes, juggling contracts, proposals and calls—all while keeping our worlds organized. Martini lunches weren’t just about drinks; they were opportunities to connect with clients in a way that transcended office formalities.
As I look back on these experiences, it’s not just nostalgia that washes over me but a profound appreciation for how the industry has evolved. We’ve gone from manual typewriters to sophisticated digital platforms, from landlines to smartphones, and from smoke-filled offices to open spaces prioritizing health and wellbeing (consider the many office projects in this issue).
The publishing landscape has transformed, and so have we. Yet, amidst the changes, the essence of building relationships and navigating the ever-shifting currents of our industry remains. Here’s to the next chapter in publishing, where the only constant is change, and the journey continues to unfold.
Always innovating to ensure our readers can read our content in all the places convenient for them, we have updated our retrofit website, www.retrofitmagazine.com, and launched an exciting new website for retrofit home, www.retrofithomemagazine.com, a residential sister publication created a few years ago. Both sites are mobile-friendly and showcase our digital editions, which include video content that auto-plays, bringing our stories, products and ads to life.
Cheers to the New Year and the innovations to come (like AI as written about in “Trend Alert”). I hope 2024 offers much success to you, your families and businesses!