Twenty years. That’s more than 5,000 business days, roughly 15 AAPEX shows (for me, at least), more than 400 executive interviews and who knows how many article posts.
That’s what my time here at Babcox Media, as Editor of aftermarketNews, looks like in black and white numbers. But that’s not the real measure of what I’ve accumulated over 20 years’ time.
What is truly immeasurable is the incredible network of people I have been so lucky to count as friends, colleagues and mentors during my time here – both internally here at Babcox Media and within the aftermarket industry as a whole. From you, I have come to understand a complex and fascinating industry. You have given me inside scoops on exciting business deals, allowed me to be a fly on the wall during important meetings and events, corrected me (most of the time kindly) when I have been misinformed, and most importantly, you gave me your trust. For all of that, I am deeply grateful.
When I started here at Babcox in 2002, I was a young newspaper reporter who had been covering everything from city council meetings to local art festivals and everything in between. I hardly knew what the word aftermarket meant at the time. Thanks to you – the kind, passionate and knowledgeable members of this industry – I somehow became an unlikely subject matter expert and grew to love it.
It has truly been an honor and a privilege to learn from you and help tell your stories here on the printed and virtual pages of AMN. Now, I turn the page in my own personal story as I begin a new chapter outside of the aftermarket industry. While I won’t be writing about auto parts anymore, you can count on me to continue to proudly bang the drum for this incredible industry and its integral role in our society. My DNA is forever changed by the experiences of the past two decades. This industry, and all of you, will always be a part of my story.
Time to hit the road. Thank you for everything.
“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” — A.A. Milne
