Wow…it's almost six years ago to the month that I had my first conversation with Issue Media Group's Publisher Paul Schutt about helping to create a new kind of online media model that was to become Rapid Growth.
And what a wonderful ride it's been; I've illustrated nearly 300 weekly issues and 500+ feature stories. I'm so lucky to have had a front row seat to some of Grand Rapid's best and brightest people -- everyone from top CEOs, small entrepreneurs, a few hipsters and a burgeoning underground scene. It's truly been a blast. Grand Rapids has a wealth of innovative and courageous ideas and no shortage of inspiring people willing to pursue their passions. They grace this publication each week.
So, as a I transition away from Rapid Growth to dedicate more time to a full plate of exciting photography and film projects, I want to say thank you to Issue Media Group (Paul Schutt, Brian Boyle and Deepa Ramsinghani) as well as all the managing editors, local publishers and fantastic writers I've worked since 2006. You've all been so supportive of me, and I am eternally grateful to have had the opportunity to collaborate with each of you.
I also want to extend a very warm welcome to Rapid Growth's new managing photographer Adam Bird. He's an exceptionally talented photographer already known to many of you and I'm very excited to watch what Adam will create for all of us each week.
In closing, the irony is not lost on me that as I started to write this farewell letter to you, I was photographing an orphanage in Haiti. I typed most of these thoughts on my phone surrounded by darkness during a particularly restless night, laying flat on my back on the floor of a small room inside the orphanage. All I could hear was the crazed noises of wild dogs roaming the street outside just over the orphanage's wall. I was profoundly impacted by how fortunate we all are to live in this community that we call home, a place where it's almost expected that you should pursue your dream -- whatever it is -- to create, to grow, to be kind and to help one another. We are so lucky indeed. I leave you with just a very small sampling of some of my favorite Rapid Growth photographs from the last few years.
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