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Squall business news has undergone many changes in the past few years, and in May we will undergo one more transition. I will be retiring from Squall on May 22, leaving the managing editor's role at RENX, Sustainable Biz Canada and RENX Homes.
We are working on a transition to be implemented in the coming weeks and months, and we’ll share more about this soon.
Writing your own retirement notice is a strange feeling, but I was asked by our publisher, Ann White, to pen a few words, so here goes.
Forty-six years ago I walked into the newsroom of the Collingwood Enterprise Bulletin as a 17-year-old high school student. I knew I wanted to be a journalist, but didn’t know much else other than my uncle (also named Don Wilcox, who was editor of the E-B at that time) seemed to have the coolest job in the world.
I have never regretted that decision.
After kicking around the newsroom for the summer working for free, I was hired by then-publisher George Czerny and spent two years as, truly, a“cub” reporter in Collingwood. That led to an opportunity to move to the Barrie Examiner, and almost 15 years in the beautiful, bustling city chronicling everything from high school sports and Junior B hockey to courts, council meetings, a horrific and traumatizing F4 tornado, and entirely too many 3 a.m. callouts for what might, politely, be termed very distressing community news events.
In 1996 the Ottawa Sun beckoned, leading to 20 years in a vibrant, no-holds-barred newsroom in a variety of roles, from sports to news to managing OttawaSun.com. As the traditional news media industry declined, that all came to an end in early 2016, and a year later the opportunity opened up to join Squall and RENX.
All of us at Squall have worked hard these past nine years to create websites, and a business news organization, to be proud of. We’ve grown our readership, built a proprietary digital newsroom, and added staff. Squall has grown continually, now encompassing five B2B websites, and plans remain for future growth.
There are too many people to thank individually, but it has been a privilege to have worked in the news media for so many years. Seeing its decline has been difficult - many people just don’t seem to understand what is being lost.
I’ve worked with many great journalists, editors and publishers who have challenged me, and tested my knowledge, skills and judgment.
As for what’s next … some freelance writing … some time helping my wife with her business … and definitely more time traversing the lakes and rivers, trails and campgrounds that I love so much. My canoe, kayak, tent and hiking shoes await.
Thank you to all for these incredible opportunities. Happy trails … and Cheers!
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