If you have been a reader/follower of SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE or of any of my other publications (REAL ESTATE EXECUTIVE, PREMIER AGENT MAGAZINE, RISING STAR MAGAZINE, PROFILES MAGAZINE, etc), you know that you can count on a high quality, informative, hard copy and digital edition every single month. So, what happened to the SBT Magazine for June 2015? Great question!
As you may or may not know, Barbara and I were flooded out Memorial Day night/Tuesday morning when five feet of water entered our home and proceeded to destroy everything in it including all of the contents of my home office, my laptop computer, my cell phone, and two cars, etc.
To add insult to injury, the electricity never shorted out and an appliance fell into the flooded bedroom. It electrified the water and stranded us on our bed with our four rescue dogs for 14 hours.
We had to wait until the water subsided in our home before rescuers could save Barbara, her son Jerry, my sister Tracey, our dogs, and of course, me. When the water had first begun rushing in, I had slipped on the wet tile floor and suffered a concussion. Once we were evacuated by boats and giant dump trucks and taken to the staging area, I was rushed to Memorial/Hermann Medical Center where it was confirmed that not only did I have a concussion but I was bleeding in the brain.
As a result, I spent a week in the hospital while Barbara was left to deal with the disaster of our world being flipped upside down. Somehow, she managed to find a place for all of us to stay, a car to drive, and a cell phone to use all within hours after we were evacuated.
We are now stuck with 4200sq. ft. of the most toxic mold on all of our contents that we left behind. As far as our business, all of my files, back issues of 13 years of magazines, reprint samples, rate cards, etc. were ruined.
We are now in a rental home in the Westbury area thanks to Publisher’s Advisory Board Member Dory Gordon and have two loaner cars thanks to Publisher’s Advisory Board Member Tony Noun. We feel very fortunate and are so appreciative that we have received so many donations, blessings, and prayers from all of you out there – our clients, friends, and total strangers. In addition, with the help of past cover honoree, Angelica Garcia-Dunn with AIM Global Logistics, her team drove all over kingdom come spending hours of their time picking up the donated appliances, bedding, furniture, and household items and loading it onto one of their huge gooseneck trailers. Overnight, we were able to transform a totally empty, foreign place into a warm, inviting home. Despite the traumatic experience and the challenges we still face, we feel totally blessed. Thank you all!!!
John, Barbara, and I have decided that we are NOT giving up the business. We may be down but we are not out. With your help, we will be better than ever before. You can continue showing your support by advertising or referring others to us to advertise. We have some “flood special” rates on advertising and marketing packages.
Due to the circumstances, for the first time ever, we have missed publishing a monthly issue – June 2015. Instead, we have moved the cover honoree to July and pushed everything forward. Any editorials submitted for June will publish in July, July edits in August, etc. etc.
We were also very fortunate that our June cover honoree, Justin Flanagan/Topmark Realty was featured exactly 5 years ago on the cover of the July 2010 issue of PREMIER AGENT MAGAZINE and was happy to work with us in the move to the July issue.
A lot has changed for Justin since 2010. He has gone in a new direction in real estate and feels blessed to have his childhood sweetheart/wife Cyndie as his business partner. Every morning, Justin, Cyndie, and their two daughters begin their day with positive affirmations. Personal development has played a key role in how Justin has evolved over the years and because of it, the Flanagans are on a path of growth and expansion.
It’s time to let you get started on this long awaited, comeback issue!
Good Reading, Good Sales, & Success to You!
Steve Levine
President/Executive Publisher
