Article Number : 1658 |
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| Date | 1/16/2007 8:01:48 AM |
| Written By | LGM & Associates Technical Flooring Services |
| View this article at: | //floorbiz.com/BizResources/NPViewArticle.asp?ArticleID=1658 |
| Abstract | The past two decades have been most rewarding, with indelible experiences and enduring friendships, old and new, spinning memories that will warm me in the years ahead... |
| Article | The past two decades have been most rewarding, with indelible experiences and enduring friendships, old and new, spinning memories that will warm me in the years ahead. Being an entrepreneur, albeit on a lesser scale, in an entrepreneurial industry was indeed surprising, even shocking, since it was not the fulfillment of a boyhood dream but an opportunity thrust on me by caring friends. For me, founding Floor Covering News in 1986 was the beginning of a second career, having spent the previous 31 years with Floor Covering Weekly, as managing editor, editor and editor and publisher. When my intention to leave FCW was known, Joe Maffett, Peter Spirer, Irv Harvey and others urged me to start a publication of my own and pledged their support. I assembled a staff, secured offices in the International Design Center of New York in Queens, through the generosity of its president, Emmett Dineen, and readied the inaugural issue of Floor Covering News, which made its debut on April 7, 1986. The score of years that raced by had its good times and bad, promise and uncertainty, hope and disappointment. It was a roller coaster ride, crammed with ups and downs, peaks and valleys. In the past two decades, technology advanced to an astounding level, business practices have become more sophisticated, and products have come out of the shadows and into the imagination of consumers. Much has changed at the hands of time. Mostly, people have changed. Many of the friends I grew up with in this industry are gone. The journey with Floor Covering News was a memorable one and though I‘ve slowed a bit, travel less and serve mostly as a designated hitter, I’m still in the game. Regrets? None, really. Disappointments? One. Disloyalty. The single most important characteristic in a friendship is trust, a bond that is sacred, affection that is pure and a sharing that is indivisible. All else is separate and vulnerable. The 20 years are history, for me and for you. I could say, here’s to another 20. But I’ll settle for five. |