My business partner and I have been in the newspaper business for close to 50 years combined. We have done it all — from top to bottom with everything in between. Over the years, we have picked up knowledge and experience that has served us well. We have had a hand in delivering many publications — publications that have been well received by the public and many that just could not make the cut. Global Traveler falls into its own category as the most well-received publication we’ve ever been associated with. Over five years ago, our company was presented with an opportunity to get in on the ground floor of a new upstart business travel magazine. My business partner, John Wroblewski, had worked with Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO of the new magazine, over 20 years ago at another company. They had kept in touch with each other over the years, and one day Fran asked us to run his distribution for him. Up until that point, John and I had only dealt with intrastate delivery, so distributing this magazine nationwide was going to be a challenge. After months of coordination with distributors around the country, it was show time. It seems like just yesterday, but it was five years ago when we received our first shipment and went out to deliver this brand-new magazine. Throughout downtown Chicago, John skillfully navigated in and out of the high-end hotels while I wrote down their locations. I clearly remember John saying how well the hotels were receiving the magazines. Just then, Fran called John to ask how things were going. We could feel the excitement as we were having success at that very moment. When Fran was told about how well it was going, John had to pull his cell phone away from his ear amidst Fran’s exuberant reaction. We were all excited. This magazine was going to work. The report from the rest of the distributors was just as positive as ours. It was a very successful day. Fast forward five years — I have come to meet most of the dedicated people who work for Global Traveler. I enjoy and look forward to meeting up with everyone, at least once a year, at the awards celebrations. Looking forward to another five years and more. -Lou Atsaves, distribution specialist