A Farwell to MFCP…
As I sit down to write this Paperclips article, there is a mix of emotions. There is gladness, happiness, accomplishment, sadness and remembrance of the days of old.
It is with a bit of a heavy heart, that this is my last article for Paperclips. I resigned from my position last week and blessings to one of my favorite people, Greg Birkett. He said, “I’m not shocked, just surprised…it’s like my face getting splashed with cold water surprised.” Case in point, if you ever need a great quote about anything, call Greg.
As you know, COVID-19 has caused a lot of us to sit back and actually think about our lives and where we are headed and more importantly “who” is important in our lives. And as you may know, I became a first-time grandmother this spring. I also will have a new granddaughter due to arrive in October. Not that they are an excuse…but they are. I’ve been asked to do some babysitting this fall. Making a decision to do that, put a time crunch into my position at MFCP and I really felt that now would be a good time for someone else to take the reins…moving this association into the next level.
This decision did not come lightly. Since 1987, the paper industry has ruled my world and throughout those years…many, many, many people have touched my heart with the dedication they have shown to an industry that has survived reorganization due to “the internet.” I have seen a lot of change in these years but one thing remains constant; the friends, coworkers and customers who have supported me along the way. These people have been my career cheerleaders and right now there are way too many to count. They know who they are…
I am leaving MFCP in very capable hands…Vickie will guide and all of the board members are always on call to give a helping hand. They are the true heroes of MFCP and its continued success. There is a wealth of free paper industry knowledge at your beck and call…they are all awesome! I will miss the laughs, the conferences, and the friendship of many dear people. We all go back so many years…
The funny thing is…I will still be stopping at a newsstand, picking up a free paper and smelling it, feeling it, looking at it and enjoying all the creative ways paper publishers market their product. Loren Colburn says it best in his tag line at the bottom of all his emails…”If it’s free…buy it!”
Take Care and Thank You!
Kelly
Welcome Lee Borkowski…
Greetings,
For those of you who may not already know me, I’ve been in the free paper industry my entire life.
I started at my grandmother’s paper in 1981 and have had the pleasure (and frustration) of working for independent, publicly owned and employee-owned companies ever since.
Through my various roles and my involvement with state, regional and national organizations, I’ve had the opportunity to learn, grow, and advance. Along the way I met hundreds of talented people and am proud to say that many remain as lifelong friends.
Without a doubt, my industry involvement was key to helping me hit goals, motivate staff and come up with new ideas. (Actually, there are no new ideas – just ones that have been borrowed and improved!)
Early this year I tendered my resignation with my current company. I felt it was time to move on and wanted to look for a new challenge. Unable to get the ink out of my blood, I had toyed with the idea of offering my services as an industry consultant. I set my official retirement date as August 3rd.
Well, it turns out that I will be retired approximately 15 hours. After that I will be hard at work for all of you – leading MFCP as the executive director.
You can expect to hear from me over the course of the next few weeks. I want to know more about you, your publication, your challenges and your successes. And, I want to know your thoughts as to how we can improve MFCP.
The current challenges we are facing are not only unique but overwhelming when trying to tackle them alone. But together we are stronger. I look forward to meeting this challenge with you.
Vickie Weingartz, Office Manager…
Hello Midwest Free Community Papers members,
My name is Vickie Weingartz. I want to wish Kelly the best as she moves on to other adventures in her life. We will miss her!
I will continue as Office Manager for MFCP to help and assist Lee Borkowski as our new Director. I feel Lee will do an excellent job for MFCP and all our Members. I am here to meet all your office needs from updating your publication information in our database to invoicing and billing. On the advertising side, I input and send the classified ads to you each week. I will quote display ads for your publication and submit them to the advertising papers for you. If you have any questions about MFCP or your membership, just contact me at office@mfcp.org or 507-388-6584. I will do my best to answer your questions promptly and accurately, or connect you with the person who can better assist you.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, I have been working out of my home office. My office hours are Tuesday through Thursday, 8 am to 2:30 pm.
Keep safe!
Vickie