Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/140775
FROM THE EDITOR While we're having fun ... let's get serious! So we turned 5 a couple months ago. In magazine years, we're not a startup anymore. We've been saying we're "teenagers" now – beginning to mature but still refining our true personality, taking in a lot of new ideas and trying out new things. . In our early years we've mailed Insight to a select list of business owners, C-level executives, professionals and community leaders. We like to think we've forged a friendly relationship with you, our readers. We hope you feel the same – because now, we're ready to get serious. Some time ago we announced that we would move to a paid-subscription model this year. We introduced our VIP program for early adopters, and we were pleased to see many of you signed on for our monthly issues of Insight and the extra perks just for VIP members. We've wrapped our July issue with a personal appeal to you to begin subscribing at $29 per year (less than half the cover price) or $49 for two years (a 59 percent discount). As fellow businesspeople, we think you'll agree this move makes good business sense. A subscription-circulation model will bring Insight the added credibility our advertisers are looking for. It also means our circulation will eventually be audited – another sign we've moved into a more sophisticated tier in the publication world. I think you'll agree the price is reasonable for what you get: exclusive news and information covering all of Northeast Wisconsin, written by experienced journalists and packaged with award-winning photography and graphics. Plus, of course, Insight is your only source for the New North Mid-Year Report (in this issue) and annual Report to the Community (in December). I encourage you to take one of the simple steps to keep your magazine coming. Our cover story on Mercury Marine is an example of the quality journalism Insight brings you every month. Contributing writer MaryBeth Matzek spent months gathering background w w w. i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m and making arrangements to interview Mercury Marine President Mark Schwabero. We'd venture to guess that what comes to mind for many of our readers when they hear the name "Mercury Marine" is the drama that ensued four years ago when the company decided to consolidate its operations in Fond du Lac and Stillwater, Okla. What happened is now history, and it's safe to say that Northeast Wisconsin was the winner in the outcome. The 75-year-old company – the world's largest developer and manufacturer of marine propulsion systems – is expanding in Fond du Lac. The story begins on page 22. Another example of a good story reported with a regional perspective is Sean Johnson's article on the SS Badger (page 36). It's also a story of a company that overcame a great challenge. The aging, coal-fired steam ferry that sails across Lake Michigan from Manitowoc to Ludington every summer was faced with the prohibitive costs of meeting environmental regulations. The owner, Lake Michigan Carferry, bought itself another year to comply by demonstrating its value as a transporter of wind towers. It's a good idea, given that the enormous towers can be safely shipped across the lake rather than on highways through Wisconsin and Illinois. How's the economy doing? Each month we tackle that question by taking a look at various industries in the New North. The residential mortgage industry is one such bright spot. Wisconsin has enjoyed a steady increase in existing home sales for the past two years. Check out "Unlocking doors," on page 34. For more evidence that New North economy is pulling ahead, be sure to read the New North Mid-Year Report, tucked in the center of this issue. Insight is proud to be your premier resource for keeping in touch with the collaborative efforts of the 18-county economic development organization. Here at Insight, we do our best to foster a sense of community among business owners and community leaders throughout the New North region. Your subscription will go a long way to affirm the importance of our "regional community" in Northeast Wisconsin. J u l y 2 013 • Insight | 11