It seems appropriate, in an issue where we feature the rocking soul of Case Award-winner Michael Sauri on the cover, to title this welcome page after a rock song. In this case, I'm quoting Van Morrison's uplifting, gospel-like rendition celebrating the hope and promise of the present moment. It asks, in essence: Where are you right now? And answers: Here, under a new morning sun. I could have leaned on the driving rhythm of Bryan Adams' much different song of the same name, which features its own lick of promise—"go find a better way"—though with more frenzy. Or there's Sting's completely different song with the same name, featuring Stevie Wonder on harmonica. Any one of these would work as my intro onto the stage at Remodeling.
Some of you may know me from our sister brand, the Journal of Light Construction, where I continue to act as editor. Only now, we have brought the Remodeling brand name under the umbrella of the JLC Group with the modest goal of bringing to these pages a little of what makes JLC click—that is, a "by builder, for builder" voice and a strong measure of practical wisdom. Please note that for me, the term "builder" is broad. It's what I always identified with. For my father and grandfather and in the companies I worked for until I went out on my own, it's how we identified, whether the work at hand was a new kitchen or bath, an addition, a gut rehab, or a new house. Here, in the universe that we cover at Remodeling, we can reframe the mission slightly to be "by remodelers, for remodelers." That fits our theme better, too; it clearly evokes renovation and renewal. Talk about finding a new day! This industry rocks.
In these pages, the focus is bright on business. For technical how-to and building-performance coverage, go to JLC. Together, these two brands serve as the bookends for our industry. All remodeling (including renovation work, replacement contracting, and historic preservation) can never be too far from the jobsite. You can't zero-out existing conditions. There is never a blank slate. You can't ignore the due diligence. Before any numbers can be put to a job price, you have to evaluate the site, investigate potential risks, and resolve access. All client communications, designs, contracts, estimates, prices, job schedules, subcontracts, deliveries, operations, and close outs are done in concert with a host of technical considerations and in-house inspections. You can't easily walk out of an MBA program onto a remodeling site and succeed unless you know enough to surround yourself with key folks who cut their teeth in the trades.
What I can bring to this platform is that sort of experience—a consideration of all the job entails as the lens through which all business in this industry needs to flow. In time, I also hope to bring your voice here. Literally. You are the ones out there every day. What we have here is a platform on which you can share your advice, give back to the industry, and tell your story. I invite each of you to reach out to me and together we can make this a brand new day.
