Annual report to readers

Continuous improvement will characterize our third year

Always improve.
Always, always, always.
We˜ve told you before of our determination to continuously improve our newspaper, from news to graphics to community outreach. And as we enter our third year of publishing (Vol. 3 begins with this issue.), it˜s appropriate to review some of the improvements we˜ve made in the past year and look ahead at the next 12 months.
In the past year, we˜ve added an agribusiness news column and initiated our Northern Colorado Business Report Leading Agricultural Indicators. We˜ve also increased the number of Agribusiness special reports that we provide readers within a calendar year.
This highlights our determination to cover this region˜s most neglected industry in terms of news, and we pledge to continue that in our third year.
Perhaps the most-significant addition we˜ve made to our news coverage — and one that˜s continuing to evolve and improve — is our 1st Choice Bank/Northern Colorado Business Report Leading Economic Indicators. These indicators provide the region˜s most comprehensive economic data, with articles examining the state of the economy from a long-term, medium-term and short-term basis.
Along with that, we greatly expanded our Economic Forecast issue this past January and will continue to provide in-depth analysis of major local industries and their prospects for growth.
This year also marked our greatest push yet into coverage of the health-care industry. Staff Writer Helen Taylor took over the health-care beat this year and has delved into the rapidly changing industry with enthusiasm and skill. Perhaps no industry is undergoing as great a change as health care — change that affects every single business — and we fully intend to become the local source for health-care news, analysis of trends and issues, and features.
We˜ve also expanded our Business Databank section. We provide data on new businesses, foreclosures, bankruptcies, federal tax liens, judgements, disciplinary actions, etc. Look for much more data in the months ahead, including some not readily available anywhere else.
Some of the improvements we˜ve made have been in design. Our award-winning art director, David Badders, has at least doubled his number of illustrations, and we˜ve added his artistic talents to our front page. Frankly, his art is too good to hide within the newspaper alone, and he now has more opportunity to show why he˜s a Best of the West contest honoree for two years running.
We˜ve also expanded our distribution to the northeastern Colorado counties of Logan and Morgan counties, which every day become much more closely linked with Larimer and Weld counties through business connections in banking, health care, retail, restaurants, service businesses, real estate and construction.
In the year ahead, look for more news. Even as a monthly business newspaper, we can and do break a lot of news. That will only increase in our third year, thanks to an aggressive news staff that˜s always in search of the "scoop." By breaking news before it˜s reported anywhere else, we ensure that our newspaper will become a "must-read" for business owners, executives, and employees alike.
We˜ also add a small-business column, and will probably rotate a few columnists out as we continue to "churn" the mix that we provide readers.
Look also for expanded coverage of the burgeoning high-tech and manufacturing industries. Whether companies arise from local garages and basements, or whether they relocate from elsewhere in the state or country, high-tech and manufacturing enterprises are increasing at a rapid rate in Northern Colorado. We˜ examine both individual companies and trends.
This issue also marks the debut of "Diary of a Startup," a recurring series by Maggie Boys, who will track various aspects of Aurogen Inc.˜s attempts to take its biotech product from the laboratory to the marketplace.
Improvements come all the time, folks. Look for them each and every issue.Christopher Wood can be reached at (970) 221-5400, (970) 356-1683, (800) 440-3506 or via fax at (970) 221-5432. His e-mail address is cwood@ncbr.com.