LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER
Challenges Will Always Be With Us . So Should Solutions
PHOTO BY TERENCE DUFFY
“ Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm ."
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
There ’ s certainly been plenty in the news to create varying levels of panic , but I ’ m not the panicking type . Hysteria can sometimes be as contagious as a disease , but perhaps the antidote is to turn the challenge upside down and see where the blessing , or the opportunity to grow and learn , might be .
We ’ ve probably all seen the photos of the trains whose packaged contents were ransacked by thieves , leaving a sea of debris along the tracks once the thieves had helped themselves . I ’ m not sure what ’ s happening to humanity , but the last couple of years have turned life a bit topsy-turvy .
COVID ’ s ruthlessness has impacted many areas of our lives , and the supply chain disruptions have added tremendously to it . These are seemingly overpowering challenges for the public and businesses alike , but each also inspires solutions . As businesspeople , those potential solutions should dominate our thinking and our moods because we are the answer .
H . L . Mencken declared that no one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public . This isn ’ t quite true if you ’ re old enough to remember Watergate , Enron and ultimately , Bernie Madoff . Even so , I ’ d like to counter that by reminding all of us of something Ralph Waldo Emerson said : “ Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm .” Actually , those words were front and center on each of my publisher ’ s letters for our magazine ’ s first 25 years . I ’ m reminded that those words were the motto I built this magazine on , so I ’ m adding them back to this page … starting with this issue ! I think we can all use some enthusiasm , because it ’ s what built many of our companies and the quotation is just as true today as it was 25 years and more ago . In fact , enthusiasm and optimism are keys to life and business success . Worry and hand-wringing never lead to solutions .
A human tendency is to take some things for granted when we know we shouldn ’ t . We know we should get regular dental and health checkups , take our car in for service , check in on our family and friends , and make sure our lawns don ’ t get overrun with weeds . We ’ ve been publishing Comstock ’ s for 33 years and are dependent on our writers , art department and advertisers to keep the issues coming out . This is something I ’ m reminded of daily when I interact with all of our team , but something I
thought I ’ d never encounter was a lack of paper to print the magazine due to the supply chain shortage . The supply chain issue made many of us realize what we ’ ve taken for granted now that we can ’ t get it .
About six weeks ago , our printer called to say they only had enough paper to print our January and February issues , meaning the supply chain challenge was going to be hitting Comstock ’ s . I didn ’ t panic , but I did start thinking about solutions . It suddenly occurred to me that maybe I could get a number of printers in town to work together , each printing a group of pages with the paper they had in stock , then we ’ d pull them all together when we went to bindery . We always need to think as creatively as our minds will allow . Thankfully , before that idea was launched , the paper problem was resolved .
In this issue of Comstock ’ s , we take a look at the red-hot housing market . Talk about short supply ; some sellers are getting 100 people fighting to buy their homes . They ’ re bringing cash and offering to buy , no matter what repairs need to be done . They probably don ’ t realize that for some , it could take months to order a stove or get other appliances delivered due to the shortage .
The COVID pandemic has made our food chain shortage very clear . You all remember the early days when shelves were bare in supermarkets and people were hoarding toilet paper . Lack of food was something we thought we ’ d never have to experience in the United States . The pandemic prompted many people to not only expand their gardens but to also start their own farms .
People want to supply food that ’ s locally grown . Statistics show many farmers in California are nearing retirement age , and someone needs to replace them . In this issue , we explore several farms and agencies in the Capital Region that have programs to train the next generation of farmers . Farming is a business , from buying land and supplies and operating a payroll to knowing what to charge for what you grow .
Let ’ s all look at solutions . To all the serious observations , I add this thought : Remember , when things look their darkest for business ( or for life ), how bright the day was when you founded or joined your company or when something miraculous happened in your life . Enthusiasm and optimism — along with strategic thinking , a solid business plan and surrounding yourself with smart , can-do people — are what created your success , and I can assure you , will continue to .
Winnie Comstock-Carlson President and Publisher
February 2022 | comstocksmag . com 15