It’s an honor to be the latest editor of Onsite Installer. 

These are big shoes to fill, but I’m up for the task and happy to do so. First things first, though. I’d like to acknowledge and thank Jim Kneiszel for his 11 years of making this such a high-quality and valued publication. 

As you read in last month’s column, Jim took over the reins from Ted Rulseh, another longtime and active editor for COLE Publishing. Both Jim and Ted have been instrumental in my development here, and I’d be remiss to not express my gratitude. 

Before taking on this role, I spent my time with the company as a writer tackling any assignment that was thrown my way. Many years ago, it was Jim who assigned the first big story of my writing career. He told me, “When interviewing and writing for these publications, always ask yourself how the story can best help the reader. Always think about how we can serve the industry.” 

I’ve kept that simple advice in mind over the years with every article I write, and I am committed to continuing the “people first” legacy that has been established with Onsite Installer. 

Initiation

Since that first story, I’ve written a number of profiles and system profiles for this publication. Though the systems, biology and technological advancements in the industry are fascinating to me, by far my favorite part is learning about installers and how they got to where they are and why they stayed. 

For example, in this month’s contractor profile, you’ll read about George Allen, a former corrections officer that turned to pumping, which led to owning his own business pumping and carrying out septic system installs. 

I’ve learned quickly that the installer’s paths to the pages of this magazine are as interesting as the work they do. For some it starts by following the footsteps laid down by family, while others find their way to system installation and design after years in another career field. 

I can relate to both of those as my mother has been working as a graphic designer for COLE Publishing for over 20 years, and that I left a different career to start fresh in an industry I had limited experience with. My journey to the Editor’s Notebook was a little unorthodox, but I’ve come to realize my resume strangely aligns.

Bio background

As editor, I’ll have the privilege of getting to know a lot of great people in this industry over the years. I’d like to share a bit of my background so you all can get to know me a little.

I started working for COLE Publishing in late 2019. Prior to that, a biology degree led me to a job in aquaponics — a form of agriculture that combines farming fish and soilless plant culture in one integrated system. 

In a very basic description, fish are farmed in large tanks where they are fed and create waste. The waste travels through PVC pipes via gravity to baffled settling tanks. From there, water containing fine suspended solids flows to further filtration tanks that house a form of synthetic material to create high surface area and anaerobic conditions. Water then moves to a tank filled with another media and heavily aerated before flowing into a tank designed for off-gassing. At this point, the water is free of all solids, clean and nutrient rich, so it flows into large beds where food crops float on foam rafts absorbing the nutrients. Water is pumped from the plant beds back into the fish tanks, creating a recirculating system. When designed properly, these systems run for years with minimal cleaning, thanks to the natural bacteria breaking down the fish waste. 

Parts of this process probably sound somewhat familiar to you. Throughout my work writing for this magazine, I have been pleasantly surprised at some of the biological similarities. From the very beginning, I took to the pages of Installer.

Recognizing the role

The opportunity to be editor of this magazine is not something I take lightly. 

I’ll leave you with a quote from Jim’s first Editor’s Notebook in 2013 because I want to deliver the same message and don’t think I can say it any better. “You deserve compelling profile stories, information-packed system profiles and detailed stories about new equipment and techniques. I’ll do my best to make sure you continue to get content of value, and I welcome your feedback, suggestions for stories, ideas for small business building columns, comments and questions about what you see in the magazine.”  

I’m excited for the years to come of getting to know you and learning from you. Enjoy the issue and thanks for reading.