I arrived weary to Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C., after a long, cross-country trek from Salt Lake City with a two-hour layover in Dallas. After five grueling days at the 2009 MPI World Education Congress, with little sleep, I had rolled out of bed at 3:30 a.m. to make a 4:15 shuttle to the airport for a 6 a.m. flight. When I made my plans, my hope was to make it to D.C. before rush hour. I forgot that in D.C., it’s always rush hour.
The day of travel, albeit long, was worth it. The mere satisfaction of why I was in our nation’s capital completely erased any harsh memories of the day. The trip was special for one reason; I was there to accept, on behalf of the One+ staff members and writers and MPI, two national AZBEE Awards—one for excellence in editorial writing and the other for excellence in design. These national awards went along with four previously awarded regional AZBEEs One+ had been honored with just a few weeks earlier, totaling six awards in the first year of publication.
I am extremely proud of my entire magazine staff of Blair Potter, Michael Pinchera, Jason Hensel, Jessica States, Jeff Daigle, Jason Judy and Kathryn Welzenbach for all their hard work, creativity and dedication in making One+ the best in the biz. Thank you for one really great year.
Several of you have told us face-to-face and in two major surveys this year that you think One+ is one of the industry’s best publications. I agree, but I always am of the opinion that the best can and should always get better.
My promise to you in this second year of publication and beyond is that my team will continue to push the envelope, continue to find the relevant angles and find the best expert sources to produce hard-hitting stories of substance you can really use.
As I have said before, this is your magazine. As MPI members, we work for you, so let us know how we’re doing and share your ideas for stories you think would be useful to you and your fellow members. Just send me an e-mail or a tweet. Remember, we’re all in this together.
DAVID R. BASLER is editor in chief of One+. Contact him at dbasler@mpiweb.org or follow him on Twitter @OnePlusEditor.