March 2001

editor’s report By Beth Meneghini

If you listen to any talk show, call-in radio program or self-help guru, they'll all tell you the same thing; nothing dooms a relationship to failure faster than dishonesty. So, since we're starting a new relationship with one another, I figured I'd just tell it like it is.

When I was asked several weeks ago to take the helm of GPN, I agreed, but with some mixed feelings. GPN has come a long way over the four years I've been on staff. Our GPN team repositioned the magazine in a very competitive market by sharpening its editorial focus and then following through with a complete redesign. We overhauled the cover, sought out new columns and added an editorial board.

For my part, I was feeling like I had just crested a long and turbulent wave and felt ready to enjoy much more peaceful waters. Change was the last thing I wanted. The funny thing is, even though the concept of “change as the only constant” has been espoused to the point of becoming clichŽ, I found it difficult to disagree with.

And while I am sorry to see an excellent editor and a good friend move on, I have to say that things wouldn't seem quite right if they continued to stay the same. So, now I say, “Bring it on!” Tom Cosgrove taught me well, and I'm excited about this new position. I welcome the change and have big plans for this magazine. I want GPN to strengthen its voice within the industry while remaining a publication you can pull out of your mailbox each month confident that it will reward you with useful and relevant information Ð not only on the industry in general but on how you run or manage your particular business. I'm committed to continuing to deliver information on the cutting-edge of our industry.

To help us do that, we've added two new editors to our staff, Trisha Korioth and Bridget White. Each of them brings varied backgrounds and experiences to our team that will lend a fresh perspective to GPN. I encourage you to get to know them over the coming months, both through their work on this magazine and their work in the field.

And I believe you'll get to know me too. If not at a trade show or association meeting, then at the very least on this page each month. I write what I know and very often how I feel. I think it's important not only to write about what's happening in horticulture but also about how those happenings affect our lives outsides this business.

And did I mention that I consider you equal partners in GPN? I invite your feedback to the magazine. I need to know from each of you what you like and what you don't. I hope GPN can be an open forum where readers representing all segments of the industry are encouraged to suggest, debate, brainstorm and generally share information. The power of GPN to report on, reflect on and in some cases, influence the horticulture industry does not reside within the suite of offices in which I work; the power resides in the greenhouses, among those of you we are privileged to call our readers.

Don't worry, GPN is in good hands Ð yours!