I’d like to thank Mike Neese of Imperial Foods for the following:
I am pleased to announce that I have signed on as a staff writer for this new, exciting venture.
With the expertise of Joyce and the rest of the leadership group she has assembled this has a great chance of success.
All we will need are people to subscribe and vendors to advertise. As much as I hate to see something as tremendous as Rave Reviews become a memory, rather than a product of Cherie’s vision that we could hold in our hands, we must realize that times are changing.
I too long for the old days in many respects, but we have no choice but to move forward. Think of what our parents thought about change as the 20th century progressed.
From the Wright brothers to men on the Moon. From crystal radios to the Internet. From tiny black and white televisions to video systems that cover a wall.
Progress comes with change and there isn’t a whole lot we can do but accept it. I used to read two to three real newspapers a day. Now I get my news, weather and sports online and in less time.
Our industry is changing and those who are still in it are survivors. We have just finished a decade that saw terrorism expand, economic hard times, wars being fought on several fronts and had many of the major financial and industrial conglomerates fade into our memories.
Yet, with all that negativity, I feel a revitalized spirit. I see people that say the cup is half full, not empty. I see more people saying we, not me.
I see people looking for someone to tell them it’s ok to be scared. I see a need for people to pull together, pooling thoughts and strategies.
We will miss Cherie Reagor and the old days. If anyone ever writes about the history of our industry, she will be a prominent part of that history.
Now, as we begin a new decade, it’s time to band together. Being a community online is not unlike living in the same small town 100 years ago. Now with the Internet and forums such as this we are bonded as vendors and gift basket professionals.
Like I keep saying, and as I wrote in the several articles I wrote for Rave Reviews last year, we’re all in this together.
People have been looking for someone to step forward in our industry and assume a leadership role.
I think by that someone has indeed done that. Hat’s off to Joyce for not saying, yeah somebody should do that. No, she took the bull by the horns and said let’s do it.
Now it’s important to realize that a person in that role is more of a wide scale monitor, or catain of a ship. It’s not a my way or go away type of role.
Joyce is perfect for this because she knows that it takes a team to make something work. She is well known and respected throughout the industry and has demonstrated an ability to pull people together.
This online magazine fills a void that is necessary and I am looking forward to being a part of it.
Mike Nease