I love factories. Well, actually it's the highly specialized machines inside them that I can't seem to get enough of. The loud noises and smells... I could probably leave those behind.

My factory fascination dates back to my childhood; I was introduced to the busy world hidden inside plants and presses by Mr. Rogers. Yes, that Mr. Rogers. My all-time favorite part of his show was a segment that took you through the process of making a crayon. I watched intently as machines formed, rolled, and coallated thousands of multi-colored crayons into boxes. Then they wrapped them up and shipped them off to me. All that work, just to create something for my enjoyment. Wow. 

Well, a dozen or so of us here at Kalmbach Publishing Co. took a field trip today to see where all our company's magazines are printed. For over three hours we toured the massive Sussex, WI branch of Quad/Graphics, where our friendly tour guides showed us around their fast-moving machines. Though I disguised it with a calm responsible adult exterior, I was a giddy little girl walking through all that technology and machinery.

My excitement was even greater today than when I saw that production line of crayons long ago, because this time I knew I'd contributed to the final product. Right in front of me, I could see all this ingenuity and technology at Quad, coupled with the content created by the team here at Kalmbach, adding up to this magazine that's delivered around the world. All that energy coming together to create something that we really do hope you enjoy. Now that's pretty amazing.