From the President

2023 SURFACE & PANEL

MASTER SIMPLE, BUT NOT EASY

The mission statement here at 526 Media Group is, “Relentlessly serving working class heroes.” It sounds simple, but it’s not easy. Serving is not easy. It requires hard work, selflessness and constant attention to the needs of those you serve. Given that we have publications that have been continuously serving their audience for more than 100 years, we must be doing something right. However, every so often you are able to create something that ends up being bigger than you planned—it does more than you intended and is valued in a greater way than you imagined. I recently was walking through the IWF tradeshow in Atlanta and was reminded of this several times. It was amazing catching up with readers and advertisers alike after our two-year COVID “pause.” Outlooks were positive and discussions were full of new ideas and fresh perspectives gained from their time spent in nontraditional ways. Walking up and down the aisles in our Surface & Panel corporate shirts, we constantly were being stopped by those walking by. Some had ideas of things to cover and some recounted stories they enjoyed from past issues. But more than anything else, they simply said, “Thank you.” As a publisher, there is no greater compliment than hearing those simple two words from a reader. In the sea of so-called, agenda-driven “media,” along with the flood of infomercials and junk mail, it is those two words that confirm you are indeed serving an industry. What really stood out, however, were the handful of times that we saw our own publication in the hands of those walking through the aisles. I stopped one person and asked, “Why are you carrying the 2022 Surface & Panel Master? It was released back in January and we are not circulating it here at the show.” The reply was the dream of every publisher: “I keep it and refer to it all year. I thought it would be a good guide for me of who to see at IWF.” Simple as that. And—even better—we spotted the 2022 Master several times more on the show floor. Making something is simple. Calling it “valuable” is marketing speak and that also is simple. Creating a publication that is valued and used by an industry year after year is not simple, nor is the work that each of you do to build your brand and win and keep your clients. This is where our missions align. Our mission is to help make sure that you accomplish your mission. When you do, we both win. This is the 2023 Surface & Panel Master. Like every year, we talked to you about what you need and what would best serve you, which is simple. But what was not easy was then packaging that new content into something we hope is even better than in years past.

Having this information at your fingertips has proven to be valuable, as it often is easier to navigate information and resources in a print format. We put extra attention into the enhanced digital edition that can be accessed anywhere, anytime. We also have invested in expanding our audience even more, which continues to be the largest, most qualified group of stakeholders throughout our industry segment of any publication or organization.

Simply put, we did not take the “easy road.” For many years now, when your requested issue of Surface & Panel shows up, you know that we take our reputation, and your mission seriously because it is full of the industry’s most trusted information, news and trends. This year is no different!

From the entire team at 526 Media Group, and the team responsible for the Surface & Panel Master, thank you for your support and for the privilege of serving you, your team and your mission.

Patrick Adams, President | 526 Media Group, Inc.

Creating a publication that is valued and used by an industry year after year is not simple, nor is the work that each of you do to build your brand and win and keep your clients.