February 21, 2005 -- The Year is Getting Rolling. GOA is behind us, but coming in the next three weeks is an HP analyst meeting where we'll hear what HP is planning to do in the print market--and probably a few others-- in 2005. That is followed closely by the Océ Open House in Poing, Germany, an event that brings U.S. and international customers together for a look at what Océ has on tap for this year. And right after that, Xerox is opening the Gil Hatch Center for Customer Innovation. So the next few weeks will have a few too many miles between Mondays and Fridays. It reminds me of the song in the movie, "Smokey and the Bandit:" "We've got a long way to go and a short time to get there. . . " Because that only gets us to the middle of March! But on to this week. I am pleased to welcome back Mike Wesner, who is returning to ODJ after a hiatus last fall. In addition to his role of vice president of national sales for Daniels Graphics, Mike, a former U.S. Navy officer, teaches leadership seminars for U.S. Navy officers. This has brought him to put a lot of thought into the impact of leadership on a business. His two-part article, which is both critical and prescriptive, runs on two consecutive days this week. I'll tell you right now that some people aren't going to like what he has to say (so send us letters!), while others will find themselves agreeing and measuring their own business against Mike's comments and recommendations. This week also introduces a new contributor. Mark Bonacorso is vice president of media relations for The Hayzlett Companies, a business development, marketing, and media company specializing in the graphic arts, technology, and communications industries. Mark will be bringing his unique perspective on marketing and public relations to ODJ once a month, seasoned with a pinch of humor that pokes fun, criticizes or even praises a variety of aspects of our industry. In his premiere column, Mark talks about how many companies (in this and other industries) often approach trade shows like a deer in the headlights of a train--and what they can do to get off the tracks. We are also introducing "Dear ODJ," our new Letters column, the place for you to tell us what you think of what we say and do here. Look for that in a couple of days, and if you read something here that strikes a chord with you, let us know. And we're cooking up another way for you to make your voice heard. I'm also inviting you to take a seat at our editorial table and let us know what you have to say--about pretty much anything related to digital printing. We're rolling out a new column called "Sitting In" that's a forum for anyone who wants to make their voice heard--and get a byline to call their own. We'll have a formal submission process in place in a few weeks, but for now think about things you might like to write about and feel free to throw some words on a page. The criteria is fairly straightforward: Must be related to some aspect of digital printing, industry issue Cannot promote a company or services Word limit is about 600 words ODJ reserves the right to edit for content, length and anything that would result in tense conversations lawyers. Until the submission process is finalized, please send your words to [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you!