Roughly one week from today, when you turn the first page of the Horizons 2016 edition that will be in the Feb. 25 newspapers, you will open our proverbial treasure chest. We hope you will take the time to see what gems are within.

The publication is the culmination of not only four months of hard work by our entire staff this year, but actually the product of 35 years of Horizons editions that have given us the experience needed to produce a section that really reflects our amazing communities.

Each and every employee went above and beyond to make this amazing and I cannot thank them enough, even though I don’t have the space to name them all.

I can honestly say we believe it is our best edition ever.

In addition to marking that 35 year milestone, this year is extra special because it is essentially part two of an effort that began last year to really showcase the amazing people who call Michiana home.

Our 2015 Horizons edition — recently honored by the Michigan Press Association as the best special section by a community newspaper — focused on the theme of Heroes & Heritage. We showcased some of the amazing police officers, firefighters, military personnel and others who call the area home.

For 2016 we chose the theme of Community Treasures, with the goal of focusing on the amazing people who may not get the spotlight as much as traditional “heroes.”

We certainly don’t feel this is an all-encompassing list, as there are so many more people, businesses or organizations we would have loved to showcase.

Of course, we couldn’t have done any of this without the support of our amazing advertisers, all of whom did a spectacular job of embracing the theme and sharing a little about themselves and their businesses — community treasures in their own right.

So make sure you pick up a copy of the Niles Daily Star, Dowagiac Daily News, Edwardsburg Argus or Cassopolis Vigilant on Feb. 25, or stop by our office after that date.

We hope you enjoy discovering all the precious assets within and realize we have some amazing “gems” right here in Michiana.

 

Michael Caldwell is the publisher of Leader Publications LLC. He can be reached at (269) 687-7700 or by email at mike.caldwell@leaderpub.com.