n writing this headline, I realize that this is true in a number of ways. Since late 1983, The Green Sheet has been a voice in the payment services industry, serving the exclusive interest of sales professionals. We have been honored to be able to grow concurrently with the industry and by being continuously encouraged from every corner that we were "making a difference" in the lives of ISOs.

It also might interest our readers to know that over the last 18 years I have kept the letters, e-mails and even handwritten notes of encouragement along with press clippings, industry stories and sales literature from industry players and the like in which The Green Sheet's material was used and/or quoted.

The staff referred to this as my "Atta-Boy File," but it often has also contained strong counsel from well-meaning detractors. In my mind, it has been the only real measuring stick along the way because for more than a decade we had neither subscriptions nor ad revenue, making The Green Sheet more a crusade than a business. As a whole, we have worked hard to listen to the industry and have tried to shape and reshape our efforts to better serve our readers.

Frankly, all of the staff that works so hard each week to produce The Green Sheet, The Green Sheet Online and the GSQ is honored by the simple fact that The Green Sheet is so well supported as we near the end of our 19th year and that we have continued to be able to grow.

But as in the entertainment industry, while the box office and even the reviews may be good, it is also gratifying to hear from your peers. Such is the case with the receipt of three awards this year, which we wish to share.

The Green Sheet was recently honored with three "APEX" (Awards for Publication Excellence) awards. The winning submissions were in the Features Writing, Web/Intranet Site Design and Online/Electronic Newsletters categories. The awards are presented to recognize the quality of editorial content, graphic design and overall effectiveness of communication achieved by the publications.

APEX 2002 was the 14th annual awards program sponsored by Communications Concepts, Inc., which serves the entire publishing industry. For the 2001/2002 publishing year, Communications Concepts received 5,863 submissions from businesses, freelance communicators, professional organizations and non-profit groups from across the country. With this vast amount of material to review, the judging was organized into 11 main categories.

Contributing writer Lisa Dowling's profile ("Success is All in the Family"), which appeared in issue 01:12:02, won in the Features-Personality Profiles category.

The efforts of graphic designer Troy Vera, Webmaster Kyle Rankin and the editorial staff were recognized twice for overall ease of navigation, layout and content of the material on www.greensheet.com - once in the Web/Intranet Site Design category and again in the Electronic/Online Newsletters category.

Over the years, The Green Sheet has continued to evolve from a photocopied four-page newsletter written by me in the crevices of the rest of my life to a professional publication. For the purpose of acknowledging the work of this wonderful staff, I am pleased to accept three APEX awards, confirming what I already knew, that The Green Sheet has some of the brightest and most capable editors, writers, graphic designers, researchers, accounting specialists, circulation staff and Web design and technical personnel in publishing.

But the best proof of all for our 2001/2002 year is that our circulation is up and we've seen an increase in both quantity and quality of editorial content, with contributions from well-respected industry leaders and other outside writers. The magazine looks and reads differently, too. The Web site has become the most comprehensive source for industry information, averaging 37,000 visits per month.

The numbers speak for themselves, but we're so pleased our efforts have been recognized with these awards.

We really are reaching the right people with the right stuff in the right way.