In this issue we present all honorees, 61 in total, in this year's Cabling Innovators Awards program. The bulk of this issue is devoted to them, and we deliver this information to you with a couple hopes in mind. First, we hope that some of the technologies, systems, products, or services you read about will help you in your professional endeavors. Our second, and quite possibly related hope, is that learning about your peers' accomplishments will inspire you someday, during some project, on a jobsite or in a meeting room.
Randomly scattered throughout the pages of our Cabling Innovators Awards coverage are photos taken at the ceremony we held in September. Several of the photos include me (unfortunately, and apologetically), because it was impractical to crop my mug out of some of them. But forget about that. The individuals whose photos you see represent the real spirit of our Cabling Innovators Awards program, which in a word is: people.
When we were tossing around the idea of launching the program a handful of years ago, its working title included the word "innovation." The concept was to honor and celebrate the innovations that have improved work processes, systems, and activities for the professionals in the trade. After some thought, we decided to include the word "innovators" rather than "innovation" in the title. Typographically it's a minor difference that probably goes unnoticed. But fundamentally, and inasmuch as the word appropriately reflects what we're celebrating, the difference is significant. Innovators are people. The Cabling Innovators Awards program honors and celebrates people for theiraccomplishments.
We live in an age when human interaction is barely or infrequently necessary, in aspects of life ranging from retail purchases to healthcare (think about home-bound patients and telemedicine). Nonetheless, even in our industry, which builds the infrastructure that enables digital communication, human-to-human cooperation, collaboration, and yes, communication can be the powerful forces that make the difference between failure and success. Or that turn a success into a new archetype for others to follow. It's people that make the difference. And we're thrilled to honor a number of people and their successes.
Now I have a request for you. Think of a person who has contributed to any of your successes. Appreciate that person. Enjoy that person, if you're still able, or enjoy memories of them. And finally, be that person for someone else. It makes all the difference.
