Publisher's Letter

First, I would like to thank you, the reader, for your loyal support of Industrial Paint & Powder over the years and to thank our advertisers.

For nearly 80 years this magazine has served the coating industry. In November of 1924, Industrial Finishing was launched to serve the finishing market as a digest-sized magazine. Then, in October of 1977, Industrial Finishing was redesigned into a full-sized magazine to give you a more graphically pleasing, easy-to-read publication. In 1993, we changed the name to Industrial Paint & Powder to address the growing powder market we cover in addition to liquid. Now, in 2002, Industrial Paint & Powder continues that process of change and growth so that we may offer the latest and greatest in magazine publishing graphics, design, readability and, of course, content.

The world has changed and so has Industrial Paint & Powder. Besides the obvious, sleek redesigned logo and graphics of the magazine, we have improved the heart of the magazine as well. We have talked to many of our loyal readers and to industry leaders and we have incorporated many new ideas and programs to give you the best magazine in the coatings industry.

One important change involves reader service cards. Industrial Paint & Powder added reader service cards (bingo, Ad Index) to the magazine in the 1950s to give you a way to contact the advertiser and learn more about their products. Here is how those now-outdated reader service cards work: You fill out the card and it is processed by the magazine, which then forwards it to the company you requested the information from, and then they process it. Best-case scenario: You get your information in one to two months.

The world has changed immensely in the last 50 years, and so has the way people gather and evaluate information. Back in the 1950s there was no Internet, e-mail, fax, overnight deliveries, cell phones, 800 phone numbers or even answering machines. If you wanted to talk to someone and they did not answer...you called them back. Today the world demands instant gratification. As a result, and responding to extensive research, Industrial Paint & Powder is giving you tomorrow's technology...today! Other magazines may be touting the advantages of their 1950's technology, but only Industrial Paint & Powder is giving our readers instant access to our advertisers. Call them directly...e-mail or visit their Web sites, which are listed in their ads or on our redesigned "Contacts Page."

I would like to hear what you think of the changes we have made to Industrial Paint & Powder, and I encourage you to e-mail me at rydenb@bnp.com with your comments. We are here to serve you and make this the best magazine possible.

Thanks for your support!