Publishers Note - WInter 09

Happy Birthday to us (and you—our readers)! It is hard to believe that five years ago, in fall 2004, we launched Winnipeg Men Magazine as a stand-alone publication. On the cover was Randy Carlyle who had just landed the job as head coach of the Manitoba Moose. Since then a lot has changed, and the magazine has evolved, but we have stayed committed to our original purpose—reaching men in our community with stories that are relevant, entertaining and interesting.

A few things have changed, like the fact you can flip this magazine over and read Winnipeg Women Magazine, which has become a bit of a trademark for us. We have also developed the online presence of our magazine, introduced live and pre-recorded video features, like exclusive monthly discussions with our mayor, automotive features and interviews with people like former premier Gary Doer.

To all of our readers who have been with us on this five-year journey—thank you! To the committed group of advertisers, many who have supported Winnipeg Men Magazine since its inception—thank you! It is a combination of being driven to be the best and a passion for what we do that keeps us working to be bigger and better with every issue. The feedback we get, the story ideas and the general comments about our features (sorry, we just can’t take everyone on the Pursuit driving event) are overwhelming.  We are looking forward to the next five years as we continue to adapt to the new media model that includes a presence in print, online, video, Twitter, etc. Stay tuned for lots of fun.

For this fifth anniversary issue, which also happens to be our annual holiday issue, who we would profile on our cover was big decision. In the end we chose a group of men who have been mainstays in our community for many, many years, and are collectively known as “The MC’s”. These three gentlemen have been a major part of almost every fundraising dinner that many of us have attended for as long as we can remember. MC’s, live auctioneers and hosts, Bill Knight, Jim Ingebritsen and Laurie Mustard have helped raise millions of dollars to help organizations such as Special Olympics, United Way, Big Brothers, and hundreds more. They don’t ask for anything in return, other than a good meal, and they take part with enthusiasm. Get caught scratching your head and you can rest assured that Bill has just used that as a high bid for a trip or dine-around. Every charitable organization in the province owes these men a debt of gratitude for continuing to make our community one of the most gracious in the country; my thanks to all three of them.

Although, as I write this, there is not a skiff of snow to be seen anywhere, you can be sure that Mother Nature is only toying with us. With that in mind, we thought it was appropriate that we introduce you to activities that can make winter shorter and more fun. I remember growing up outside the city and having my snowmobile parked in the barn, pointing outside, ready for the snow to fall. To this day, I still get itchy when it snows, looking forward to getting out on the trails. Now that I have kids of my own, I look forward to introducing them to this great winter sport.

Lastly, the excitement is building for Canada’s first Olympics since Calgary 1988.  Being a winter sport country, I think that we should be looking for big things. There are lots of Manitobans who will be representing our country at the Games and hopefully breaking new records and bringing home medals. We have showcased a few of them for you in this issue.  

This has been an interesting year for the entire world. The state of the economy, massive changes in the media and communications field, and the social media phenomenon have monopolized the headlines. Changes and innovations continue to come at a furious pace (I wait with bated breath for the Apple Tablet). Take a moment this holiday season to slow down, turn off your iPhone or BlackBerry and reflect on the fact that the struggles faced this past year, particularly in the financial world, were something not seen for a generation.

Who knows what 2010 has in store for us, but since we can’t control it, let’s just stay in the present, enjoy family and friends, and celebrate our successes. I think Trooper said it best: “We are here for a good time, not a long time.” The sun can’t shine everyday on us, but when it does, isn’t it great?

Happy holidays to each of you. I hope that 2010 is a year full of pleasant surprises, as well as personal and professional success.