February 2011, From the Editor
Times are a changing
Change is good. Change is inevitable. Change is gonna come.
Change is also unsettling, uncertain, exciting and inspiring — all at the same time.
Few know this better than Wisconsin’s business owners. They have navigated a troubled economy and made tough decisions that included everything from slashing expenses to sweeping layoffs. The Great Recession hasn’t always been kind.
But headlines are proclaiming U.S. economic recovery may be gaining traction. In fact a recent Reuters poll of approximately 80 economists suggests the U.S. gross domestic product will rise by 3 percent on an annualized basis in 2011, up from 2.7 percent in a similar poll in December and 2.3 percent in November.
Closer to home, the First Business Economic Survey for Dane County, Milwaukee/Waukesha counties and the northeastern region of the state found at least 49 percent of the businesses surveyed predicted increased revenue, profitability and wages for 2011.
The state’s new governor, Gov. Scott Walker, also creates hope as he promises to pass legislation that helps Wisconsin businesses add 250,000 jobs over the next four years.
Yes, change is uncertain, but change is also good. And there appears to be a silver lining emerging after years of economic uncertainty.
CRW is seeing its share of changes too — the most recent being myself. With this issue of CRW, I assume the role of editor, and I’m certainly no newcomer to the industry. I’ve worked as a trade-press editor for more than 15 years and have owned my own business — a small portrait studio — for two. I’ve been charged with managing people and budgets for a larger corporation as well as for a small business, familiarizing me with many of the issues business owners face.
As CRW’s new editor, my mission is to cover Wisconsin’s time of change in a way that shows where we’re headed as well as where we’ve been. In times of economic uncertainty, company owners often develop best practices that help them transition their businesses to more profitable futures. We’ll look at what Wisconsin companies have learned and how they’ve changed during the Great Recession. We’ll follow governmental changes impacting businesses as well.
If you have a story to tell about how your company has embraced change and addressed difficult challenges, I’d love to hear about it. I can be reached via e-mail at crweditor@crwmag.com.
Together we’ll make sure “change is good.”