Leading off.

If anyone would have told me 10 years ago what I would be doing today, I would have looked at them humorously. You will notice that Sunrise Publishing is celebrating 10 years in 2003. It's amazing how time flies when you are having fun.

Looking back, I am not sure what the thought process was when the first Saskatchewan Business magazine was being prepared for the printer. I think we were all looking at "one piece at a time." However it did cost much more than a dime. The line "if I would have known then what I know now" definitely applies. I can honestly say I would think twice about doing it again.

We had a plan in the beginning. It went to pieces before the first magazine rolled off the press. Plan Two was to get through the first one and then review. We did this for about five years and then decided that we should come up with the "Real Plan." Thus, Sunrise started to evolve into the company it is today. For now.

Breaking into the publishing world has to be one of the hardest things to do. It is all built on reputation, delivery and quality. There is no inventory, no proof of what has been done and no supplier to phone and say this product doesn't work -- take it back. We are the supplier, inventory, quality control, and the reputation.

Ten years ago the reputation of the magazine itself was not a great one so there were many naysayers that thought it couldn't be done. There were also many supporters in our corner telling us to get on with it and prove these naysayers wrong. Prove them wrong we did; we are still here! It has been a long, tough road but we have done it one piece at a time. Those pieces have now multiplied and become information tools that many look for in their mailbox and use as reference time and time again.

Many thanks go out to our loyal supporters -- advertisers and subscribers alike. Without you, we would not have made it this far. As the foundation for this company was built, we continually looked at ways of improving our product and increasing its frequency. In 1993, Saskatchewan Business magazine was going to be a quarterly. That is all we thought we could handle. Stress of deadlines; imagine that! Economics and readers dictated that we increase our frequency -- six came on stream. The pressure was there again -- then seven, now eight. Stop the bus! Deadlines, deadlines. We can deal with anything now -- or so we think.

We also looked at ways of sharing our newfound knowledge with others. Thus evolved the other publications that we are contracted to produce. A big thank-you goes out to those companies who feel we have the knowledge and expertise to develop their reputation on paper and deliver a quality product. Without you, things could have been very different.

I can honestly say that the past 10 years have been interesting and very much a learning experience. Sunrise has by no means reached its full potential or is in a place where we can sit back and relax. It is a company that will continue to grow and change with the times and economy. Let's make a date to review in another 10!

Twila Reddekopp, Publisher