40 Years!

Forty years ago, in June of 1986, I started Women’s Edition with a very clear goal: to help small businesses owners afford advertising and to connect them with local Omaha women in a meaningful and effective way. I truly had no idea at the time what it would grow into. Today, as we celebrate our 40th Anniversary Issue, I feel incredibly grateful for our loyal readers, who continue to pick up the monthly magazine and read it cover to cover (including the ads!); for our advertisers, who have trusted us year after year; and for the relationships that have made this life journey so rewarding. It has been my honor to be part of the Omaha community for the past four decades.

There is a part of me that is still in disbelief…where did those 40 years go? I was 30 years old when we launched. My daughter, Carissa, was seven. Like so many small business owners, my late husband Jim and I started in the basement of our home. We wanted to be there when Carissa came home from school.

We truly launched the business the hard way—learning under fire. The Macintosh computer had only been introduced in 1984, and we were right there at the beginning of it. It gave us the opportunity to step into desktop publishing almost overnight. Looking back, it’s amazing to think how much that one piece of technology changed not only our lives but the entire magazine industry.

Over the years, I have been so blessed by the new relationships that Women’s Edition has delivered to me. My advertisers, readers, writers, distribution people, and vendors are like family at this point. My closest friends today are people I met through my years at the magazine. 

To take the magazine into the next decade, Carissa joined me last fall to continue the legacy of Women’s Edition. Straight out of college, Carissa worked for Women’s Edition for 14 years and had left the nest in 2015 to find her own way. She explored different industries and did well. When I turned 70 last year, I realized that I love what I do…I just wasn’t sure I would want to be doing it when I turned 80. I put the thought out to the Universe and everything lined up perfectly for Carissa to return. Another huge blessing! (Just to let you all know, I am not going anywhere anytime soon. Carissa and I will work together and will reevaluate when the time comes.)

What is so gratifying at our 40-year milestone is the longevity that we have with our readers and advertisers. We have local small businesses here in Omaha that have brought their adult children into their companies, and they continue to advertise with Women’s Edition. We have second-generation readers whose moms brought home Women’s Edition each month. What an adventure! 

Wow. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.