I guess I’ve never been a status quo kind of person. Some people (and I do not fault them in the least for this) are perfectly content with things being successfully the same in perpetuity. “Why fix it if it’s not broken?” is their mantra. As groups of people, we tend to drive each other crazy, but each approach has its own merits.

I’m definitely more in the camp of, “What if you could fix things and make them better?”

I’m reminded of this in two different ways with this issue. In the first manner, it’s with our annual roundup of the Best of Wisconsin Business Award winners. As you look through the pages at the end of this issue, you’ll see some familiar companies.

And that’s good; there’s no better way to tell that you’re doing something well than through that kind of acknowledgement. But you’ll also see some new businesses and fresh faces, many of whom have “fixed” things and done something different, something better to capture the attention of the CRW readers who voted for them.

In the second way, you’ll notice a change in our columnist lineup, both in our print edition and on the Web site. This month’s issue features our inaugural Executive Suite column written by John Macek. John has been in management for over 30 years, 17 as CEO of large human service organizations. A behavioral scientist by training, he used his management work as a laboratory for studying management practices. He is also the owner and publisher of Janesville-based Bosshandbooks. I’m quite excited to have John on board as our new monthly columnist.

On the CRW Web site, you’ll also find a new face talking about a topic that we know is of interest to you, thanks to your responses in our recent reader survey. Matt Schroeder will be tackling the ever-evolving topic of social media. He spent 15 years on the editorial side of newspapers before a multi-year stint at the Milwaukee Wave, most recently as vice president of communications. His career has traveled from cut-and-paste layouts and proportion wheels to digital video editing and social media. Matt has some very innovative ideas about how you can make social media work for your business or organization, and I’ve been personally following his successful efforts online for a few years. I think you’ll enjoy both his writing style and his insights.

We’re making some changes here at CRW to keep bringing Wisconsin’s business community a fresh perspective on things. I thank those of you who responded to my request to send us your news and announcements. With your help, we’re able to broaden our regional pages to include new organizations and businesses throughout a greater portion of the state. And we’ll be looking for new sources to use for our upcoming editorial pieces as we finish 2010 and head into 2011. Please continue to keep us in mind!

CRW clarification: In the July Focus HR column on workplace obesity programming, it noted that obesity costs U.S. employers $1.3 million a year. In fact, the true cost is even greater at $13 billion each year.

By Laurie Arendt

Laurie Arendt is editor of CRW. She can be reached at crweditor@crwmag.com