It seems fitting that my nearly 17-year tenure at Staffing Industry Analysts ends with the Best Staffing Firms to Work For magazine issue. SIA has been just that for me: a best place to work. It has been an incredible journey, and I have loved every moment of it.

While much has changed over the last 17 years, watching the industry rebound from the Covid fallout was inspiring. Remote work, hybrid models, the new world of work, asynchronous collaboration, quiet quitting, the Great Resignation and the industry’s continuing work toward diversity, equity and inclusion were all trends that we wrote about in the last year alone. What has been a constant at the editorial team’s end is working to provide you, the players in the workforce solutions ecosystem, the tools you need to stay competitive.

And this is beyond revenue. It’s about leadership style. Today’s business environment asks managers to adopt an empathetic approach to career development. In addition, people want a diverse work environment. Unfortunately, our industry has not made much progress in that arena — yet. However, according to a recent story that my editorial team and I worked on, the “trajectory of the workforce solutions ecosystem’s DE&I journey has been checkered, but the good news is that it still remains a priority.”

And it was a very proud moment for me when our work last year on the state of DE&I in the workforce solutions ecosystem was named a finalist for Crain Communications’ — our parent company — prestigious Stan Cohen award! This award is one of Crain’s highest editorial honors, and it is a privilege just to be considered. Results will be published as this issue goes to print. Awards aside, it all goes back to worker engagement. My team and I care about the journalistic mission, about each other and about you. At its best, SIA has been a home away from home.

We’ve been motivated every day to keep you, our readers, informed and inspired, from reporting on breaking news to managing deadlines, linking new entrants to the ecosystem — often placing them on lists — learning and writing about amazing products, and connecting people so they can place candidates in jobs. Our goal has always been to help you push the envelope of the world of work and impact the bottom line while creating a workplace that is kind and supportive for both internal workers and contingents.

We have had our share of mixed results. Some have felt our coverage of them in the Daily News was not fair or were disappointed not to be selected for a recognition list. However, please be assured that we always make our decisions with journalistic principles in mind. Our concern for the people we are interacting with and reporting on is sincere, and we approach each of our tasks with integrity. SIA editorial policy involves being disciplined and consistent with the journalistic ethics we adopt and follow.

And I couldn’t be prouder of how the mission has panned out: the development of news beat reporters, editors, recognition lists, a guest blog site that helps members of the ecosystem interact regardless of rank and much more. We have traversed new conceptions of objectivity, of conflicts of interest, of movement journalism and community-centered reporting. And all this under a responsible content banner where we provide information for free. It is this objectivity that helps you gain credibility with your peers and clients. I am not saying we as an editorial team have it all figured out, but every day we work hard and learn from our mistakes, putting our best foot forward into each tomorrow. While there’s always room for improvement, our objective is to serve the workforce ecosystem with grace and equanimity.

I have enjoyed telling your stories and look forward to meeting you again on another endeavor. Thank you for allowing me to travel part of the way on this road with you. You have been wonderful fellow travelers.