From the editor

Communication World, June-July, 2003

In April 1991, I was going on my third month as an assistant at IABC. Les Potter, ABC, was chairman at the time. As I read his monthly newsletter, I was shocked to find that he had devoted a paragraph to thank me. I had taken it upon myself to work every weekend for weeks to go through some ancient messy files.

As a junior staff member, I could hardly believe that someone of his stature would notice this small deed--and then actually take the time to write about it. When I shook hands with this fine man later that year, I had tears in my eyes. You would think I was a Nobel Prize winner.

Recognition--when it's deserved--is priceless. For confirmation, just take a look at the gleaming faces of the Gold Quill winners when they accept their awards at the international conference in June. Their pride stems from the fact that they have achieved outstanding results for their organizations, raised the bar of excellence and charted an effective communication path for their peers to follow.

Rather than let the applause fade, CW offers IABC members the opportunity to look behind the scenes at how these winning communication efforts were conducted. Throughout the year, you'll find examples of Gold Quill-winning work featured in our regular magazine department, "Case in Point."

This special conference issue also includes a list of the 2003 Gold Quill winners and visual examples of some of the winning products. Readers may also access the Gold Quill work plans through IABC's web site, www.iabc.com. Our hats are off to the division coordinators and the IABC Blue Ribbon Panel, who volunteer their time to this valuable program.

The best of the Gold Quill winners have made that critical link between communication and organizational return on investment--a long-time top issue for IABC members. Read more about ROI in this issue's article from thought leader Lorenzo Sierra.

Cheers to the 2003 Gold Quill winners!

NATASHA SPRING

Executive Editor