Strengthening our editorial operation for the future
The arrival of a new year always suggests change. And this new year, in particular, as it ushers in both a new century and a new millennium, suggests bigger and more significant change than usual.
And so it is here at Fleet Owner. We are using the arrival of the new year - and our first issue of the new millennium - as a catalyst and a platform for restructuring and repositioning ourselves for the future.
To begin with, we are designating new editorial leadership for the magazine and all of our ancillary editorial products. Jim Mele, who has been editorial director of Fleet Owner for the last three and one-half years, now moves into the larger role of editor-in-chief. In doing so, he takes over the entire editorial operation, focusing most closely on our print products and Web development activities.
At the same time, we are expanding the role of Wendy Leavitt, who moves into the new position of director of editorial and market development. That assignment not only broadens and strengthens Wendy's editorial base, but also gives her greater opportunities to pursue new business initiatives and editorial directions for Fleet Owner.
Jim's promotion is a great move for Fleet Owner and our readers, and it is an opportunity he clearly has earned and deserves. Jim has been with the magazine for 14 years, moving up through a succession of senior editorial posts, and since 1996 has served in a dual-leadership role within the editorial department. In that position, Jim had shared responsibilities with former editor Tom Moore, who recently left Fleet Owner for another trucking-industry publication.
In his years at Fleet Owner, Jim always has been the champion of the reader. He insists on high standards of reporting, story analysis, and writing quality. As editorial director, his main assignment was to make sure that all of our editorial products stayed focused on our readers' needs all of the time. His reward has been Fleet Owner's winning of the business-publishing industry's Folio: Award for editorial excellence in the transport/logistics field three of the last four years.
Notably, he also was the creator and editor for several years of Fleet Owner's truck.com publication, which since has been incorporated into the regular magazine as mobile-communications technology became more fully integrated with today's truck-fleet operations.
Jim is a highly respected and recognized figure in our marketplace as well. He has spoken at industry events, served on industry panels, and worked with many industry organizations. Expect him to become even more active in the future.
In terms of respect and energy in our business, few people surpass Wendy Leavitt. For the last two years, she has served in the dual roles of senior technology editor and market-development manager. Her new position clearly recognizes her as a leader in our organization and more accurately reflects the role she will be playing more fully in the future, as we look at new directions for content delivery, and at integration of those delivery systems for the benefit of our readers and advertisers alike.
You can count on Jim and Wendy to maintain their presence in the pages of the magazine each month, and to continue to focus on building the editorial strength of our publication as we move into this new year and beyond. We will be announcing other new plans shortly, so stay tuned.
