Page 6: of Marine News Magazine (August 2014)

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EDITOR’S NOTE

T he fi rst annual MarineNews 100 list, one which chronicles the 100 leading companies serv- ing the North American shallow draft market, is ‘done and dusted.’ The formidable effort, now safely in my choppy wake, provides a telling snapshot of just what makes this sector of the marine industry great. At the same time, the 100 fi rms outlined within these pages also shed considerable light on the breathtaking breadth of business happening on the water, in the yard and in myriad marine workshops, consultancies and manufacturing concerns nearby. On this one point,

I think you and I can agree.

MarineNews’ fi rst annual MN100 awards edition is the brown water and workboat industry’s most awaited ranking of leading stakeholders serving the inland, coastal, offshore and shallow-draft markets. I can say this with confi dence, knowing that no other marine trade journal serving this niche market has more readers, subscribers or – dare I say it – fans. All of that said; the Buck stops at my desk when it comes to this edition. I vetted all entries and personally selected the fi rms for which we chopped down trees and applied ink to paper. All kudos, comments, complaints and other ‘observations’ can be directed to [email protected]. Fire away.

All gallows humor aside, I found this particular edition to be one of my most challenging; certainly one of the most interesting, and at the end of (several) very long days, one of the most enlightening tasks I’ve ever attempted. Editing a monthly trade journal can be, at times, a little like herding cats. This marine business of ours extends its tentacles in so many different directions, hence the selection of stories for the allotted folio each month can be challenging. But, that monthly task actually pales in comparison to the effort to rank the full measure of all of the organizations that make this fascinating business tick.

Beyond the selection process, however, this edition allowed me to reconnect at a grassroots level with hundreds of companies. Just when you think that you understand exactly what XYZ Consult- ing or ABC Shipbuilding does for a living, the process of digging just a little deeper turns out to be an invaluable exercise. It also provides (needed) perspective on what I should be writing about next.

For these reasons, and many more, I look forward to doing it again next year. I say this, of course, in advance of the inevitable mailbag assault on my E-mail account. Believe it or not, I look forward to that dialogue, as well.

In September, we return to our typical exciting format, chock full of regular columns and features, augmented by the Editorial Calendar’s focus points. As always, what you think is news is important to me. Don’t ever hesitate to weigh in on that score. Finally, and as you turn the pages that follow this one, I’m betting that you – like myself – will come away with a different, if not better perspec- tive of marine business today. Count on it. [email protected]

Joseph Keefe, Editor, [email protected]

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