Creating a massive newspaper section like our upcoming Horizons edition is a little like a slightly less messy version of childbirth.

OK, that really may not be a fair — or visually appealing — analogy. My two-fold experience with giving birth was certainly more as a bystander than as an actual participant. Virtually every mother in the world would say I have no idea what that ordeal is really like.

Still, the blood (mostly figurative), sweat (totally literal, even during this sub-arctic winter) and tears (hopefully minimal) that go into creating a 104-page monster of a newspaper edition is significant.

And, just like bringing a baby into this world, there is lots of worrying, many late nights and a few challenges along the way.

Do I have you interested or have my hyperbole analogies turned you off? Sorry, but you have to wait one week to see what all the hype is about.

Why am I teasing you now? We want readers to anticipate reading Horizons as much as we look forward to getting it out on the streets.

For those who aren’t familiar with the publication, let me explain.

Horizons is a once-a-year project that Leader has produced for at least the past 30 years. This publication is our premier edition, designed to go beneath the surface to showcase what makes southwestern Michigan special.

Although this is my first edition at this newspaper, I have been a part of similar projects elsewhere for about a decade and a half.

This year, we featured more than 40 individual stories or vignettes about some of the amazing people who call this region home and the topics that mean something to our citizens. We went away from the traditional sectional format, instead allowing editorial decisions to be made purely on the merits of the stories we were trying to tell.

A new feature — one of which we are especially proud — is our Unsung Heroes. These were individuals nominated by you, our readers, as people who standout without ever trying, who go above and beyond the call of duty to strengthen our communities. We recognized 14 special individuals, each unique in his or her own way, but all sharing the common bond of putting others far ahead of themselves.

Next year we would like to recognize twice that number, as we believe there are countless more citizens out there who don’t get the recognition and praise they deserve.

In the end, the great staff here at Leader Publications deserves all the credit for making this project come together. They all worked very hard for more than three months to make this truly a “special” section. That effort starts with the sales team and the creative department then goes to the newsroom, production, circulation and beyond to encompass the whole team.

I would love to name everyone individually, but I am afraid it would sound like an Oscar acceptance speech and that I would leave someone out.

I also have to thank all of our loyal advertisers who, quite frankly, just get it.

The nearly 200 advertisers in the section understand that this product is not only one of the best ways to create branding and top of mind awareness for their individual businesses — a result that will drive customers through their doors — but also realize that anything that showcases our communities and builds them up has intangible benefits that cannot be so easily measured.

So, make sure you pick up a copy of Horizons 2014 in Niles Daily Star, the Dowagiac Daily News, the Edwardsburg Argus, or the Cassopolis Vigilant on Feb. 27. If you can’t find one, send me an email or give me a call.

Although we have to take a quick breath to focus on other exciting projects in the works, it won’t be long before we start thinking about Horizons again.

Hopefully you will enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed creating it for you.

It is a little scary, but we are just about ready to send our child out into the world.

 

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.