It’s hard to fathom that Quality Digest, a little Northern California media company respected by all and beloved by many, turned 40 in November 2021. For a human being, 40 may be the new 30, but it’s still just creeping up on middle age. For a small business, on the other hand, 40 years is downright old. Few even make it to 40 months, and many don’t last 40 weeks. Four decades turning out thoughtful, industry-defining content on platforms from print to online to video to mobile to social is quite an achievement.

I joined QD as managing editor in spring 2004. At the time, I was so green that I think the entire staff referred to me as “Kermit” behind my back. In any event, with the patient guidance of Don Dewar, Jeff Dewar, Scott Paton, Dirk Dusharme, April Johnson, Laurel Thoennes, and several other long-term team members, I slowly built my knowledge base and began to decipher the sometimes arcane complexities of this thing called quality.

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