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I know I am writing to a supportive audience, but I mean it when I say Idaho Falls is a special place to me. I have lived here all of my life. The people, the location, the surroundings, the distinct weather changes—the list goes on. I love Idaho Falls. So naturally, being a part of publishing Idaho Falls Magazine is a highlight in my life.
As we celebrate our 20th anniversary of this magazine I can’t help but reflect on the past years and the people who have made this happen.
My mom and dad, founders of Harris Publishing, who took a risk in 1972 and started this business in the basement of their home.
Mel Erickson, a man who has taught me so much about life and business, not as much through words as by example.
And to many former staff members such as Steve Smede, Jay Dye, Dayne Dingman, Mitch Brian, Del Moss, Linda Carter-Beck, as well as current staff members Chris Sheetz, Emily FitzPatrick, Kevin Malcom and Dallas McCary.
I am also grateful to so many Harris Publishing staff members who are the reason this company will celebrate 50 years next year. And to my brothers and business partners, Ryan and Chuck. Who knew after our childhood years of wrecking snowmobiles, sneaking out at night to test drive dad's new car and failing miserably at raising chickens we would end up here, together.
None of this is possible without these people and their wonderful talents, passion and ideas.
The magazine has certainly changed since our first year. More issues. More pages. More deadlines. We now publish a handful of various accompanying titles such as Destination Idaho Falls and Discover Idaho Falls, as well as a website and social media outlets.
With that being said, our motive and mission remains unchanged—to tell the story of a great community. The unsung heroes of this area. The thriving small businesses. The arts and culture. The community events. The surrounding recreation. There is always a story to tell.
It is funny how some business decisions are preceded with hours of discussions, market analysis, proposals, etc., and some are just decided on a whim. The start of this magazine was the latter. It took all of two minutes in a stairwell to decide to launch this magazine.
“After all, Harris Publishing has the resources. We publish other magazines. This would be done as much for community involvement and service as it would be for business purposes. Besides, it would be fun,” I said to Darryl, president of Harris Publishing at that time. He looked back at me and said, “Okay, sounds like a good idea. Do it.”
And that was that. Now I knew my dad well enough that what he meant by saying, “Do it,” was “Do it right.”
Here we are 20 years later. More than 250 issues later. More than 15,000 pages later. It has certainly surpassed our expectations. Visions existed in my mind and those involved in that first issue, but I doubt any of us guessed it would develop into what it is today. We look forward to the future by embracing our past. While we hope our magazine has benefited this community in some way, there is no doubt this community has made our company better.
We are grateful for being a part of this community. What a wonderful group of people we have come to know better. We are so grateful for our many readers and the advertising support. A magazine doesn’t succeed without those two groups.
I love Idaho Falls. There is no place I would rather be than in my office, in Idaho Falls, helping prepare another issue of Idaho Falls Magazine. Well, after I get back from golfing at Pinecrest, of course.
Click here to read more from the January issue of Idaho Falls Magazine.