Keeping Good Company (Lance Turner Editor’s Note)

The Arkansas Business Publishing Group office in downtown Little Rock (Scott Carroll)

This issue is the last regular issue of Arkansas Business with me as editor. Next year, I’ll embark on a new career in strategic communications at Ghidotti of Little Rock.

I’ve spent 24 wonderful years at Arkansas Business Publishing Group, and the last two years and five months as editor have been terrific. I’ve learned a lot in this role and in working with this incredible staff of whip-smart veteran reporters and editors. And it’s been a joy to meet and correspond with many of you, our readers, the decision-makers who drive our economy and make Arkansas a great place to do business.

According to a 2022 report by the U.S. Department of Labor, the median employee tenure in the U.S. is 4.3 years for men and 3.8 years for women. About a third of U.S. workers 25 and older have tenure of 10 years or more.

But in our Arkansas Business newsroom, we have multiple editors who are approaching or are beyond 20 years of service. I think it’s because we love what we do, enjoy working with each other, and are part of an independent, locally owned company whose owner, Mitch Bettis, cares deeply about each and every person he employs. (Thank you, Mitch, for that and so much more.) 

I am fortunate to have found a home here, hitting the jackpot with my first job after graduating from Arkansas State University in 1999. But I’ve also wanted to try something new and learn another part of this business. The opportunity at Ghidotti is one I couldn’t refuse.

Arkansas Business, on the eve of its 40th anniversary next year, won’t miss a beat. Gwen Moritz, my predecessor and one of the best people I know, remains on staff and will serve as interim editor while Mitch searches for a permanent editor. 

And to any candidate who happens to be offered this job in the best newsroom at the best media company in Arkansas — take it. You will not regret it. I don’t.

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Next week, subscribers will receive the Book of Lists, our updated compilation of selected lists from the previous year. On Jan. 1, the Executive Q&A issue, containing some of our favorite interviews from 2023, will land in mailboxes. The next regular issue of Arkansas Business is Jan. 8.

As always, we hope that Arkansas Business has been helpful to you — by reporting news you can’t get anywhere else, sharing new ideas or introducing you to key people — and made a meaningful difference in how you do business.

We appreciate you for reading and subscribing. Have a happy and safe holiday and a prosperous 2024.

Lance Turner is the editor of Arkansas Business.