In October, I will be married to my husband Bill for 20 years, and January 2014 will mark my 20th anniversary here at Rodman Media Corp. For those of you that know my husband, you know this is quite an accomplishment! Meanwhile, staying with one employer for 20 years used to be the norm, but no longer. On both fronts, I get asked, “Are you happy?” and “What’s made you stay for so long?”

On my wedding day, I recall standing in the back of church with my Dad. He asked me, ”Are you ready?” After a long pause, he said, “Forever is a long time.”  Those that are married know it is not easy – a good relationship takes a lot of work. After 20 years, I cannot imagine anyone else loving me to the capacity that Bill does. Yes, forever is a long time, but when I reflect on the good times and bad, I know I made the right choice, and chose a great partner to accompany me through life.

I was recently fortunate enough to be hosted by HP Indigo in Israel. Prior to the event, I visited with my friend and colleague Amir Dekel, the VP of marketing at AVT.  He gave me a tour, and discussed the company’s history, milestones and technologies. While this may sound like a typical visit, there was something different about this one. Amir was excited about what AVT is up to, and spoke with an enthusiasm that reminded me of a boy who had just been given his first shiny red bicycle. Other AVT employees I met with had the same enthusiasm. This was not a marketing ploy – they were genuinely excited about their company. I left AVT that day with a smile on my face and anxious for the coming days.

The following morning, at the opening session of the HP Indigo event, VP and General Manager Alon Bar-Shany talked about HP Indigo and Israel. He talked about doing business in today’s online world, and presented an overview of new HP Indigo products to be launched. Alon is a wonderful speaker, and he too had a palpable enthusiasm in his voice. As the week progressed, I noticed that all who I interacted with at HP had excitement in their eyes, and spoke with fervor.

Many of us in the industry have heard the phrase or have been asked, “Are you drinking the HP Kool-Aid?”  While the company may see this as something negative, I think it’s quite the opposite. By the end of my visit, I not only wanted to drink the Kool-Aid with them, I wanted to mix up a batch and invite friends to join me! 

Back to those questions, “Are you happy?” and “What’s made you stay?” The answer is people like Amir and Alon and companies like AVT and HP. They can still get me excited about what I do and what the future will hold for our industry. We should all be so lucky to work with the Amirs and Alons of the world.

Thank you for reminding me why I love what I do.  Thank you for twenty interesting years!





Kathleen Scully
Publisher
[email protected]