Leadership

Deep and Wide

Every so often, when a number of positive changes occur right on top of each other, it makes sense to communicate them directly to you, our readers. This month, I am pleased to highlight several significant changes and improvements to Professional Remodeler magazine and HousingZone.com.
Sept. 27, 2012
3 min read

Every so often, when a number of positive changes occur right on top of each other, it makes sense to communicate them directly to you, our readers. This month, I am pleased to highlight several significant changes and improvements to Professional Remodeler magazine and HousingZone.com.

First, when you turn the page, you will see the face of our new editor Tim Gregorski. Don’t let his youthful visage fool you. He brings a wealth of experience to the job. Tim has served as lead editor for several magazines related to the construction and building industries over the past 10 years. Prior to that he was a reporter and writer covering commercial and residential construction. He knows the business very well. And only one month on the job, he has asserted a freshness and vitality to the business ideas we present daily online and monthly in print.

His presence, however, should not signal wholesale changes to the magazine that you have come to know and trust over the past 16 years. We will still play host to our award-winning series “Remodelers’ Exchange” series as well as “Project Spotlight”, which highlights the business- and design-success of great remodeling projects. You are, however, likely to see more in-depth coverage of industry-critical ideas like our very deep coverage of the impact of tablet computers on remodeling presented several months ago. I invite you to send Tim an e-mail to welcome him aboard and to offer a sense of what business information matters most to you.

Secondly, we are flattered and pleased to call attention to a growing relationship with PRIME, the leading business peer council comprised of some of the largest and best remodeling and home improvement firms from around the country. Joy Kilgore, who provides the forum for the group, edits a new department in the magazine -— “PRIME Perspectives.” In it, some of the industry’s top remodelers share insights on everything from markups to marketing. You will see this monthly article inside the back cover of the magazine. Incidentally, members of PRIME will jointly serve as an editorial advisory panel for our publication. Please make a point of reading this new feature. It is guaranteed to provide actionable business ideas.

Lastly, we have been gratified by the presence of hundreds of great remodelers who have attended our series of 12 “Professional Remodeler Night” events this year, which have been held in Atlanta, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, Boston, San Francisco -— just to name a few. These events featured our esteemed columnist Mark Richardson, CR, as a speaker. He spoke about the importance of adapting your remodeling businesses to fit an evolving remodeling market. On October 1, 2012 we will announce our slate of 12 cities for 2013. If you have not attended one of these events, I would encourage you to be on the lookout for the date and time of one coming to a city near you. It is a great opportunity to network with other remodelers and to be inspired.

In short, the business ideas presented by Professional Remodeler — in print, online and in person — have deep relevance across the wide expanse of remodeling disciplines from exterior-replacement business to kitchen and bath design and all segments in between. We are gratified by your time and interest in Professional Remodeler. The remodeling industry is growing and we are pleased to be your partner in that growth. PR

About the Author

Patrick L. O’Toole

Patrick L. O’Toole is editorial director and publisher of Professional Builder, a 77-year-old publication that is read by 112,000 builders each month. In this capacity, he is also responsible for the editorial direction of Professional Remodeler magazine and HousingZone.com. Previously, O’Toole served as editor and publisher of Qualified Remodeler magazine. He started his career as a reporter for the Associated Press in Chicago. He holds a B.A. from Miami University and a masters degree in journalism from Columbia College.

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