2001 Draws to a Successful Close for San Fernando Valley Business Journal COMMENTARY From The Publisher Pegi Matsuda Reflecting on business accomplishments at the end of the year is not something I typically do, but this year is different. In the 20-plus years I’ve been in business, I think this has been a most extraordinary year for all of us. During the first part of the year we experienced uncertainty in many aspects of our business. Many business leaders I spoke with told me their clients and customers were taking a “wait and see” attitude, others told me they were hunkering down for a serious recession. And if that wasn’t bad enough, the Sept. 11 attacks forced us to seriously contemplate the future. But, while many companies did experience slow-downs, turndowns, and other kinds of ups and downs, some showed growth and increased profits this year. In this year-in-review issue, you can read about many of the companies that made it, and some that didn’t. Although we are impacted by many of the same business challenges as our readers, this is also a time to celebrate our success. We celebrated our fifth year of publication this past summer by identifying the 25 most influential business leaders in the Valley and the 25 individuals likely to constitute our region’s leadership in the future; whether we all agreed that this was the “right” list or not, the Valley was able to recognize their own, en masse. Receiving the Valley Industry and Commerce Association award as the Valley’s outstanding small business of the year was definitely a high point for us, as was receiving national prominence for excellence in journalism from our national trade association, the Association of Area Business Publications. Under the leadership of editor Michael Hart, special recognition goes to senior reporter Shelly Garcia for the national award she won for her breaking story on retail chain Kohl’s arrival in the region. New editorial columns were launched this year with Carlos Martinez reporting on media and technology (see his article this issue on the “dot-gones”) and Jacqueline Fox’s new column keeps us up to date on local politics. As I attend one meeting or another during this holiday season, I find myself talking and hearing more about those companies and people who are making profits, growing their businesses and positively looking to the future. Pegi Matsuda is associate publisher of the San Fernando Valley Business Journal. She can be reached at [email protected].
