It may be hard to believe, but you’re reading the 100th issue of Building Services Management. I guess it’s true what they say about time flying by when you’re having fun.

Of course, it’s not all kicks and giggles. We at BSM and OTI Communications work everyday to provide our readers and advertisers with a platform they can use to keep their employees and customers informed about the latest tools, techniques and trends in the industry.

Like many of our building service contractor readers, I started this business from the basement of my home in 2001, and the first issue of BSM was published in December of that year in the aftermath of 9/11. Over the past eight-and-a-half years we have built a solid foundation. I hope that our readers and advertisers can continue to build on that foundation.

In the first issue, we covered the devastating events of 9/11. Our editor Chris Sanford, a native New Yorker went to Ground Zero the first day lower Manhattan reopened after the attacks, and his reporting revealed how the industry and some service providers were affected by the events of that day.

It was a tough time to start a new business and magazine, but we made it through, and have been able to weather some other storms since then, including the bird flu, SARS, H1N1, Hurricane Katrina and another recession.

Through it all, our mission “to provide essential information for today’s facility maintenance professional” remains the same, and we remain committed to this core value as we prepare for the days and struggles ahead. Nobody knows what the future holds, but rest assured that BSM will cover the issues and events of that day, hoping to pass along tools, ideas and techniques to help you prepare for any situation.

I do want to take this time to recognize our advertisers, for giving us the opportunity to publish BSM monthly. Pro Team, Procter and Gamble, and Sears Carpet and Upholstery, to name a few, have been with us from the beginning, and we appreciate their continued support. I also want to thank in advance our future advertisers, and let those who have worked with us in the past know we appreciate their support, too.

Also, I would like to extend a sincere thank you to our 30,000 readers. Each month, this magazine is mailed to the most qualified, professional facilities managers, building owners, and building service contractors in the marketplace. These groups of readers are diligent in their daily duties, and it shows. We vow to be as diligent and hard working.

I also want to recognize my staff; Editor Chris Sanford has been with us from the beginning. His ideas and eye for detail have contributed greatly to our longevity, but he doesn’t do it alone. They say that behind every good man there’s a good woman, and it rings true here. Chris could not do his job as well without, LaQuita Owens, an editorial associate who has been with us for five years now. You can find their work each day on our website, www.bsmmag.com, a weekly email newsletter, and of course, on these pages each month.

I’d also like to acknowledge our fine sales and administration teams, Wes Wooten and Melissa Byars, whom our advertisers are very familiar with, and Ruth Dodd and Shena Lawson, who do the behind the scenes work, for which they don’t always get enough credit.

As head of circulation, assistant VP Loran Schubarg makes sure you get your copy of the magazine each month, thank you very much, and the people at Doxa Design Group who have been laying out these pages all along. We thank them all for their creativity and hard work.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this magazine for the past eight years, and we look forward to bringing the next 100 issues to you. Our next milestone will be our 10-year anniversary issue in less than two years. Hopefully, we’ll still be part of your operation, and I look forward to visiting with you then.

Until then, stay safe, work green, and remember that BSM will be there with the information you need to get your job done more efficiently and effectively.