From the President

I'm sitting on the couch with my wife and she gives me a quote that she’s become famous for. It usually creates an interesting “discussion” due to our differing philosophies on the subject: “Maybe we should wait until things calm down.”.

The breaking point this time was the opportunity for a new puppy that landed in our lap. We had discussed the idea of another household member for some time. I put us on a lengthy waiting list and when our time came, she felt that it wasn’t a good time. Now a few months later, we have this opportunity again and away we go in discussion!

I bring this up, not to out my wife (even though that hole is likely already dug at this point), but to point out something I’ve found as I’ve gotten older. Most people do not operate like me. Most, it seems, seek out calm water. My father-in-law, during his time, was the master of patience. I still hear his words in his Texas accent, “Patrick, just be patient and it will all work out.” Almost always, he was right. However, as I’ve gotten older and perhaps wiser, I now realize something.

Control is an illusion and unpredictable chaos is a constant. We can’t plan for “calm,” and, for me, I can’t wait to move forward on the opportunities that happen to present themselves only during calm times. There are many quotes that come to mind to support this, but

I happen to like “History favors the bold.” In the military, our Special

Forces are trained and taught “Improvise, Adapt, Overcome,” and

I think that is a principle that has become ingrained in me living a life that was never easy. Not only do I never expect calm times, but, on the rare occasions when they do arrive, I find it a bit unsettling.

As we enter the final quarter of 2022, I don’t see anything other than dust from the chaos. It is becoming a landscape that is exceptionally hard to “read.” Interest rates are screaming skyward, while the stock market feels like a daily roller coaster that forgets what the “news” was the prior day. It remains tough to hire people and the people you do have cost more. The international landscape is full of uncertainty on many fronts. And yet, business is exceptionally strong, margins are healthy, and forecasts are cautiously strong in spite of this chaos swirling around us.

I have had conversations with some (usually very large corporations) where they describe growing concerns and hesitancy and are planning slowdowns and cutbacks. And I have had many conversations with small- and mid-sized companies that are going full throttle

and planning for some of the best years in their businesses along with expansions and growth strategies. How can everyone see the same landscape, with the same data and react so differently?

This brings us back to the couch and the puppy. Yes, things are beyond crazy. The kids starting back to school and sports requires us to basically wave at each other on the highway as we shuttle back and forth. Travel is picking up and between our publications, events and our newest experiment with a consumer lifestyle magazine, we are busier than ever before! I just returned from south Georgia, leave for Boston, then New Hampshire, then am home for the weekend before I check in for surgery and a hospital stay (to fix my little “emergency” from April).

So, I look at my wife and ask, “In 30 years together, when has our life ever been ‘calm’?” If we were the type of people who waited for calm, well, we’d be waiting a long time! I am thankful for the chaos, as it keeps me moving and keeps me thinking, and I keep adapting, improvising and—most of the time—overcoming. This to me is the secret of “success,” which I define as living a full life, trying to do better than I did yesterday, and trying to be a person known as able to be counted on.

So, on the Saturday after I return from New Hampshire, but just before I go into surgery on Monday, “Winnie” (kids say it’s short for Winnie The Pooh… it’s actually short for Winchester!) the puppy will take its place in our home full of chaos, and love, and laughter, and memories.

I hope your year has been full of the best kind of chaos and that in your own way, you are planning on more of it in the months to come. As always, serving you and this great industry is an honor that I never take for granted.

Patrick Adams, President | 526 Media Group, Inc.