I love getting feedback from L&NW readers.  As the editor of this publication, what you have to say is one of the more valuable tools at my disposal that I use when planning content for both the short and long term. And in today’s online world, I am able to receive your compliments and criticism in a variety of ways. LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and old-fashioned email are all great ways to get in touch and let me know what you think and how you feel about Label & Narrow Web.

Speaking of old-fashioned ways to communicate, one of my favorite pieces of fan mail recently came via “snail mail” – the good ol’ US Postal Service. It was a nice, handwritten letter written by a family member of a devoted reader. It was a request on behalf of the reader to have his subscription forwarded to his new residence, which happened to be in a state penitentiary. I didn’t know any other details other than the recipients name and new mailing address, which I passed on to Rich DeVoto, L&NW’s circulation manager. If you are reading this magazine behind bars, let this note serve as a “shout-out,” and thank you for your readership and support.

Our columnists, who we allow and encourage to state their opinions, evoke several forms of feedback throughout the year. Sometimes they strike a chord, and sometimes they touch a nerve. While I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention we lose a reader or two over the years – and they let us know why – more often than not our columnists are thanked for broaching a topic and bringing certain things to light.

This leads me to introducing a new theme and series of articles The Bottom Line author Rock LaManna will be addressing in his column starting this issue: Integrity Matters.
Since 2012, Rock has been advising L&NW readers on a wide range of financial matters – M&A activity, business valuations, equipment acquisitions, strategy, succession planning and more. With his Integrity Matters series, however, Rock is going to hone in on company leadership, taking on the role of business coach, addressing elements of running a business that go beyond crunching numbers.

So many of you are small business owners. You may not have the personnel in place to fill certain departments, or the resources to hire an outside, impartial advisor on certain matters. It’s our hope that we can help fill this void should it exist, or bring to light aspects of label company leadership that will help your business succeed and thrive.
As always, we welcome your thoughts and feedback.



Steve Katz, Editor
[email protected]
Twitter: @LabelSteve