Appreciation during times of change

Transitions are inevitable in the life of any organization, especially over the course of time. People come, people go. And if you work at a place long enough, it’s not a matter of if but rather when a key change will take place.

In this newspaper’s little corner of the world, we are experiencing some transitions that we knew were coming but hoped would hold off for just a little longer.

 This is the final week for Janet Koritnik as an “official, full-time” staff member and leader at North Big Horn Hospital. Janet kind of wears three hats for the hospital district, and her title says it all: marketing, foundation and grants coordinator for the district.

It’s hard to believe that Janet has worked for the hospital, and thus with us, for nearly 21 years, and we must tell you that we don’t believe we’ve worked with a finer person. Always upbeat, kind and good natured, she is also organized, hardworking and highly effective in her role.

With our professional relationship it is more than just marketing. Janet keeps her eyes and ears open for stories out of the hospital district that are of interest and importance to the community. She has been a tremendous guide for our staff in many ways.

We welcome “the new Janet” – Payton Gambill – and we know she will do a great job for our hospital, community, foundation and newspaper, but we are grateful that Janet will stay on in a part-time capacity in the months ahead during a time of transition.

Another transition is taking place in our newspaper office. Our multi-talented Stormy Jameson has taken on a new role as the lead reporter for our paper. After working over the years as our advertising manager, a title she will still hold for now, Stormy is expanding her role onto the news side of the organization, a task she has been taking on more and more in recent months.

We joke in the office that there’s nothing Stormy can’t do, and we know our “Swiss Army knife” staff member will excel in this role, as well. She’s energetic and well tied into the community. But she’ll need your help to “find the news,” so give her a call at any time.

We would like to say thank you to Patti Carpenter and Marwyn Layne for coming out of retirement and pinch-hitting during some staffing issues we have been experiencing. Patti is a pro’s pro, and no one advocates for community journalism more than Patti. Her work is excellent, and her love of this newspaper and our community holds no bounds. We are happy she will continue in a part-time role, especially in the world of health care coverage.

As for Marwyn, she has been a huge help, despite facing some health issues, and we can’t thank her enough. She, too, will be working part-time to assist Stormy, and we’re glad to have her.

Finally, we want to thank Karlie Hammond for her great work and creative talents that have made this paper look so good for many years. Karlie has moved on and into a new career, but she leaves a legacy of excellence here at the Chronicle. Fortunately, we have Carla Wensky and Kyler Martinez ably designing ads and pages for the paper and doing fine work.

Transitions. We all experience them in myriad ways. We just wanted to say thank you to some great folks we appreciate working with in the life of this newspaper.

— David Peck