Extra Point

January 2004

by Jack Tenney, Publisher

Changes

Trying out new stuff is a particularly appropriate activity for January, don't you agree?

I once visited a factory in Manchester, England. The company got its start manufacturing bomb sights for the RAF. It took its wartime expertise of mass producing precisely etched lines to scribing scales for slide rules, cursors, loupes and kinwests (adjustable triangles.)

As I was about to embark on a sales mission in the United States hawking their wares, I was naturally interested in what every buyer wants to know and every seller wants to explain and exploit: what's new.

"Oh, my," the manufacturing director answered, "I have a drawer full of ideas, bright little innovations and modern miracles."

"Why," I asked, "are they in a drawer and not in production?"

He chuckled. "Well, it wouldn't do to answer a question the managing director hasn't asked, you see."

I didn't see, but what the hey, I was just a salesman,

Most recently, we cleared our drawers of good ideas, little innovations and modern miracles here at Business People–Vermont. The first thing we discovered was that by tweaking our production capabilities a bit to save time, we earned a bonus of being able to have full color on every page.

Well, after that there was no stopping. Like, if you've ever had to replace a faulty window (I'm talking sash, sill, panes and all), you find that the new window is vastly superior to all the other old but unfaulty windows. So, you just keep tweaking until you have a pleasant, well lit, energy-efficient home, right?

Therefore, we have a fresh format not that there was anything wrong with the old format. You will experience a lot brighter publication from the front cover to the smallest ad.

We are also introducing some new editorial features. The first, Moonlighters, will feature local business people who have turned an avocation into a night-and-weekend endeavor that enriches their lives and, sometimes, even their pocketbooks. What better person to start with than our own longtime ad rep Larry Brett. We'd love to hear from you about other folks who might preside at board meetings by day and tend to orchids by night, or whatever you tell us.

I hope you continue to enjoy your magazine it really is all about you and your Business People peers. Make a resolution to send us a press release and nice glossy photo of your new folks, new digs or new business. Oh, and if you would like to reach business people in Vermont with a positive pitch about your business, we sell ads.

Ask Larry. Or, Art. Or, Susan. Or, Rebecca. Or Paul, or even me!