As the Grateful Dead put it, what a long strange trip it’s been. In 1984, when Business NH Magazine was launching, I had recently moved back to NH. Like many an 18 year old leaving for college I swore I’d never come back, but my dad saw an ad for a job in Peterborough that was compelling. Peterborough, at the time, was a hub for publishing in the computer market. More than 30 magazines were produced, some larger than 800 pages. The population of Peterborough was barely more than 5,000, and the job I ultimately accepted at Byte Magazine paid more than I could make in Boston.
Fast forward a decade and more than a few personal detours, and I was working for one of the few remaining publishing houses still in Peterborough. It was 1994 and the Internet was just beginning to take publishers by storm. In a move I repeatedly questioned my bosses about, publishers were loading all their content online for free or for a fraction of what they were making in print. In fact, one client laughed at my advertising pitch, cautioning me to seek other career options as publishing would surely be dead in a few years.
It’s a pleasure to say that client was wrong about publishing and wrong on career advice. Publishing has evolved. Not only has print remained relevant, technology has expanded how we deliver information to our audience and forced us to diversify. Business NH Magazine’s circulation is the highest in years with 15,000-plus vocal and active business executives who subscribe to the print magazine. We also have 30,460 unique users catching up on business news on our website every month and that doesn’t include the thousands of our followers on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Despite dire predictions, this 30-year-old publication is now a multi-media company with a bright future.
Editor Matt Mowry, the magazine’s longest serving editor (he’s been with us for almost half its history), has more than a few tricks up his sleeve for 2015. We’re looking at increasing our investigative reporting, adding several new events, kicking off a new guide, and launching several digital products, all while continuing to provide information that helps you run your business better. And that’s just the beginning.
We hope you enjoy this special 30th anniversary edition. Like thumbing through a year book, researching this issue brought back some great memories—and uncovered a few moments that made us cringe. In this issue we highlight the best of the past 30 years, a few of our more dubious moments and share forecasts for NH’s business community. And from our office to yours, we wish you the most retro of holidays ever.
Sincerely,
Heidi J. Copeland
Publisher