Please excuse my reminiscing for a minute while I recall a few choice Colin Kelly memories:

1. I’m holding the reflector on a photo shoot while Kevin and Jen are lighting the smoke bomb and small fireworks lodged inside a model rocket. Colin is sprawled on the sidewalk just inches away as he holds a camera and exclaims, “This shot is awesome! This is awesome!”

2. Coming into the office the morning after Halloween to find his office entirely wrapped in Christmas paper, complete with bows and lights. Why? Colin’s nickname around Christmastime is “Bah Humbug.”

3. Empty cans of Red Bull sprinkled throughout Colin’s office after another late night at the computer.

4. Then there was the Ugliest Christmas Sweater contest at our company party a few years ago. Colin won decisively, sporting a horrid entry at least three sizes too small. Although I was tempted to include the photo with this article, out of respect for Colin, I think it’s best if that picture remains securely locked in our archives.

5. Finally, one evening while in St. George conducting client meetings and editorial interviews, Geoff, Brandon and I sneak into Colin’s room. Brandon puts on a large white hooded bathrobe while Geoff and I hide behind the bed. Colin opens the door to his dark room and Brandon suddenly steps out directly in front of him, illuminated only by the ghostly moonlight from outside. I have never seen a grown man so afraid before in my life. We still recall his panicked scream with pleasure.

As our readers, you’ve witnessed a few changes to our magazine over the past few months, including the recent name change to Business Connect. I’m not looking forward to an additional change as the founding editor of Business Connect moves on to other career opportunities.

As a publisher, I’ve been lucky to keep Colin here as long as I have. I’m still not sure why he stuck with it through very difficult times in the early years, fighting through many obstacles to help establish Business Connect as a leading regional business publication. He has worked with minimal budgets at times, and for a while was a one-man editorial staff.

Colin deserves much of the credit in the six national Maggie awards, four Golden Spike awards and five Best of State medals displayed in our office lobby. We will miss his professionalism, his expertise, and his loyalty and integrity.

But perhaps more than that, I will miss his genuine kindness for everyone around him, his fun-loving nature and his humor. Colin, thank you for all you have done for Business Connect and for us over the past five and a half years. We will miss working with you. And whatever you do … don’t get rid of your infamous Christmas sweater.