HOT PURSUIT

It may have taken 12 years, but last week I finally cashed in on a promise I made to readers.
In the Nov. 24, 2009 edition, less than a month after I took over the operation of what was then the Blooming Prairie Times, I wrote: “Since day one, I made a commitment to our readers to provide the best possible community newspaper that I know how… this week marks the beginning of some of the changes you will be seeing over the next few months as I zoom in hot pursuit of making this one of the best community newspapers in the state.”
Some people, like politicians, often make promises that simply never happen. However, I like to think journalists are in a different category.
Last week at the annual Minnesota Newspaper Association convention in Brooklyn Park,  I was humbled to receive the first place general excellence award for our circulation category. This is one of the top awards given to newspapers in the state. What’s especially noteworthy for us is that this is the first time we have received first place for general excellence. We’ve come close a few other times, but never to the top.
Winning general excellence is the pinnacle of just about any newspaper publisher out there. It sends a strong message that what we’re doing is working. This year our journalistic counterparts in Michigan judged the Minnesota newspapers.
From news coverage to sports reporting to photography and the advertisements placed by businesses and organizations, we offer a comprehensive package that ties it all together. Our editors, designers and production assistants work hard to make it look pretty and easy for you to read.
Climbing to the top has been an interesting road for me. Quite honestly, there were times when I wondered if it would ever happen. As I have shared in the past, many challenges sabotaged my most sincere efforts. But as I was reminded in church on Sunday, the many storms in life create us into the individuals we are. We should never lose faith in what we’re trying to accomplish in this journey called life.
Over the past several years, we have worked hard to transform the Steele County Times into a countywide newspaper for all of Steele County and the surrounding counties.
I like to use the illustration of Blooming Prairie businessman Craig Kruckeberg who has achieved much success with his business adventures over the years.
Kruckeberg has said in the past: “Success doesn’t happen overnight. And if it does, somebody is going to jail.”
There have been some big speed bumps over the years, but I think we finally have things going in the direction we want for our readers.
I hope our readers continue to enjoy the community newspaper that we put out every week. While the awards are quite flattering, it’s actually the readers who make us strive for the journalistic excellence we aim to provide.
I am always energized and invigorated by the comments readers share with us through email, mail, phone calls, in person or social media. No money or award can replace the satisfaction we get from our loyal readers.
Readers, take a bow. This is your award. You have provided us with the motivation and desire to excel, especially in the past year and a half. Without your loyalty and support, none of this would be possible.
My hope is the journalism we provide will connect with readers in a profound way. And to top it off, I want readers to trust us for providing them with quality hometown news that will influence our communities to become better.
As I ended my column in 2009, it’s worth repeating again: “It will be a great adventure as I go in hot pursuit of producing the best newspaper possible.”