Whoever said “time flies” wasn’t exaggerating. We have been in Salt Lake for 30 years, publishing the magazine you hold in your hands since the fall of 1989. Almost half our life has been spent in Utah, now one of America’s fastest growing states and economies. Friends have asked us why we went to Utah (For them Utah was a no man’s land of desert sprawl)—a place where you couldn’t get a drink, where we knew no one, that was so distant from our Florida home. And yes, being Catholic—how would we be accepted by a Mormon culture?
Margaret Mary and I liked what we had seen when we visited Park City a year earlier. The mountains, lakes and rolling hills were so different than our life on Florida’s east coast, specifically Boca Raton. The West was a whole different lifestyle. When we scouted the airport newsstands and in downtown Salt Lake there were no local magazines. Subsequently, we sent copies of our Florida magazine to major retailers and advertising agencies soliciting their opinion on whether this kind of publication would fly in Salt Lake City.
And here we are, 30 years later. It turns out people liked what we delivered, we found ways to get a cocktail and there was no “Mormon issue.” Church personnel visited us in the beginning and a year later, they were praising what we had done. They asked us about our publishing philosophy and we told them our purpose was to showcase Utah and its people from St. George in the south, Zion Park and Moab, to the magnificent Wasatch Mountains of Park City and the solace of Bear Lake and Logan in the north.
But maybe the most meaningful thing we have accomplished over the past three decades have been the friendships we will always remember. Since day one, the Salt Lake community has been wonderful to us, inviting us into their homes and clubs, making thoughtful suggestions to improve our magazine, supporting us with advertising and events. These relationships embody what my old Notre Dame roommate wrote on a card I recently received: “Friendship represents counting on one another to understand our moods, put up with our feelings, encourage our dreams, share our problems, brighten our outlook, and just be there when needed. Friendship is truly one of life’s great gifts, adding beauty and richness to our lives, and promise to the future.”
As we tiptoe into our 31st year publishing this magazine, I can’t help but feel that kind of sentiment for all those who have helped make this magazine a success—from friends to advertisers to staff and supporters. We could not have done it without you and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Here’s to 30 More!
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