September 2005 - In Praise of Do-Bees

By Anthony J. Lockwood

Over the past year, we have yippee-yi-yoed to our world that the firstissue of Desktop Engineering magazine was published in September 1995.Ten years is quite the milestone in a biz where the average rag lastsjust a few years. An unintended effect of all this celebration is thatI get congratulations from folks that I've sucked up to or they me forthe entire 10-year run of DE.

Kudos are nice and all that. But I'm not the reason for DE's success.

The success we've earned has its roots in the same soil as does successat your place of business. To borrow a convention:  It's theDo-Bees, Stupid.

The men and women who do the real work have made DE the leader in theMCAD/CAM/CAE/PLM publishing segment, as we're categorized by the tradepress's trade press. Me? My job is to get out of the way and let theDo-Bees do do what they do do so well, as the old Cole Porter song goes.
Over the years, DE's Do-Bees have gone through the same sort of lifebuffeting that you have. And, like you, they still managed to excel.Off the top of my head, we've had four children born, two divorces (notrelated to the children), one bout of cancer, two adoptions, a bunch ofremarriages, assorted family members passing, two or three dud hires,layoffs, and a number of those horrible company-wide meetings thateveryone dreads.

We lost contributing editors Janet (Endrijonas) Gouldand Joe Greco way too soon.

We've had interesting events. Like the time editor Ann Grummon walkedthroughout the office on her hands on a bet. Or ex-publisher Hayes's"going hockey" over purple artwork. All the confused people wanderinginto our office looking for an oral surgeon.

Yet, I get the praise for 10 years of DE. I don't think so. I'm just DE's Frank Perdue. You know, the pretty face.

No, the thanks go to you DE Do-Bees, whether you're here today or havegone off to other things. Congratulations. DE is 10 years old. We're 10because your work got us here.We're also 10 because Do-Bees like you, dear reader, support us. So, thank you to Do-Bees reading DE everywhere.

Do-Bees everywhere, over the past 10 years, you've survived the loss of 3 millionmanufacturing jobs, the third consecutive decade of stagnant wagegains, and astronomical health care increases. You endured Windows 95and the Y2K fire drill. You've watched CEO salaries bolt to more than300 times the average Do-Bee's pay, then you've watched some CEO posterboys do a perp walk. You probably lost a job and compared your two-weekseverance to some dude's golden parachute. You kept faith as your401(k) fell and your property tax skyrocketed. Yet you handled allcurveballs life tossed at you.

Do-Bees, you always get it on the chin, yet you make it all happen. Youare dismissed as a cost center by entitled, callus-free top brass. Butyou're really the center that anchors the whole.

DE is 10 because Do-Bees just like you make it happen and Do-Bees justlike you give us your support. Earning that effort and your support isthe highest compliment DE can get on its birthday. So, thanks, Pal—Lockwood

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