Projects
Here’s a look at some of the bigger projects I’ve been a part of this year (please note that much of this is locked content behind a paywall), either as a writer or an editor. For a bibliography of my written work, click here.
2020
Book of Lists – Year in Review – Dec. 25
While I certainly can’t take credit for pulling this year’s lists together – our researcher spends countless hours doing this – Book of Lists is one of our bigger projects each year. This time around, we chose a theme of 2020, looking back in each of the chapter pages on some the photos that most highlighted the unusual year; offering some local data showing how the economy and Covid case counts rose and fell, role and fell; and my biggest contribution was compiling a three-page timeline of events that happened over the course of the year.
Here’s a link to the timeline: Year in Review: When Time Stood Still – A Timeline of 2020
For a link to all of our lists, go here: Pittsburgh Business Times’ 2020-21 Book of Lists
Fast 50 – Oct. 2
This is our annual Fast 50 ranking the region’s fastest-growing companies by three-year revenue growth. This year we themed it around adaptability and how this year’s Fast 50 took on tough times with resilience.
My editorial with links to the other stories in the package: We asked the Fast 50: How have you adapted your business this year to adjust to these challenging, changing times? Here are their responses.
Office of the future – July 10
With this project, we took at look at what offices could look like both as people return to the workplace, often for the first time since the pandemic shutdowns started, and long range as companies consider their options.
Intro story (with link to the other stories in the package): Offices, reassembled: Here’s a primer on what offices may look like now and in the future as a new normal emerges
Small Business, Big Mission – Ongoing
This was part of a much bigger national package that all the ACBJ papers participated in. Locally, reporters profiled eight companies as they worked their way through trying to do business in the midst of the pandemic. Over time, the series will document their struggles, successes and key moments.
April 10: This was our introduction to the eight businesses, before the first national package ran. The participants gave first-person accounts to reporters. Navigating coronavirus: Eight small businesses share their stories
May 27 check-in: These stories ran as part of the first coordinated national package, with every market running profiles: Small Business, Big Mission: Navigating coronavirus Part II
Oct. 16 Part II: Took a look at lending challenges for black-owned businesses. The main story was done by our corporate offices, but there were three local sidebars: Not so sweet dreams, how to bottle success and finding the funding.
Dec. 18 Part II: We checked back in with each of the eight businesses originally profiled to see how they were faring and what plans they are making to prepare for a post-Covid world. Small Business, Big Mission III: Weathering the never-ending ups and downs
Guide to Western PA Schools – May 15
I’ve worked on the School Guide for at least 15 years now, editing it and working with our researcher to develop the content around it (he’s the one who pulls all the data, a huge task). This year wasn’t too challenging as the tests were already taken and most of the data analyzed before Covid hit. We chose to theme it around how schools were adjusting to remote learning as at the time every district was doing remote learning and starting to think about what the next year would entail.
Here’s the rankings with links to other stories in the packages: 2020 School Guide rankings: Southwestern Pennsylvania’s top districts
There’s also a cover story written by our tech reporter about Learning 2.0 and Q&As with seven superintendents.
CEO Conversations – April 24
In the early weeks of the pandemic, we spoke with dozens of local CEOs about how the virus had impacted their companies and what they were doing to get through the tough times. It’s a snapshot in time look at how companies were managing through the tremendous changes brought on by the virus and stay-at-home orders.