The first time it happened, I shrugged it off as coincidence. Then it happened again. Erica noticed it, too. 

“Weird,” I said. 

“Yeah,” Erica agreed. 

First, I finished her sentence. Then she finished my sentence. 

“Are we already reading each other’s mind?” I inquired. 

“Scary.” She nodded. “I think so.” 

This was barely two weeks into my stint as the new editor of Erica Pefferman’s magazines — COMO Magazine and COMO Business Times. I’ve been the digital editor and copyeditor for both magazines since November 2022, but being editor of the whole shebang is new. It’s funny, though, because if Erica had gotten her way a half-dozen years ago, we would have been reading each other’s minds and finishing each other’s sentences for a while now. 

She offered me the editor’s job in April 2018, and even followed up my initial “no” with a second offer. She dangled the sweet temptation to come back to the print journalism industry which I had exited a year earlier to avoid the predicted bloodletting (well, layoffs) that occurred at the Columbia Daily Tribune six weeks after my departure.  

She asked twice. I said “no” twice. (And, truth be told, I regretted that answer.) 

And now here we are together, apparently where we were supposed to be once upon a time. Well-played, Erica. Well-played. I don’t think either of us will regret getting what we wished for. 

This edition of COMO Business Times is the 20 Under 40 issue. We will celebrate the honorees and their supporters at a banquet later this month. I can assure you that, after being involved in the 20U40 selection process this year and in 2023, this is no popularity contest. Trimming the initial nomination list to 40 finalists, and then selecting the 20 winners, is a tough, challenging task. What impact do they have in the community? What difference are they making? What is the legacy they are building — even before the age of 40? 

Columbia has an abundance of people who impressively fill in those blanks. Presenting a final list of 20 was daunting. They all have my heartiest congratulations. 

Speaking of the 20 Under 40 Class of 2024, freelance scribe Michelle Terhune deserves heaps and mounds of kudos for the profiles she wrote on each honoree. Writing just one, two, or a few of those profiles is quite an undertaking. But writing all twenty with the same award-worthy energy and authenticity? That’s amazing. 

I recommend all our stories, of course, but I want to make sure you see the bylines that go with them. Our intern extraordinaire Kelsey Winkeljohn wrote the Poppy and Lizzi & Rocco’s pieces in COMO Business Times and COMO Magazine, respectively. Check out the way Marcus Wilkins captures Dave Parmley’s personality in the story about the Broadway II under construction in downtown Columbia. Lori Galaske’s nonprofit spotlight on Heart of Missouri CASA (court-appointed special advocate) features that organization’s executive director, Kelly Hill, one of my family’s most favorite peeps and 20U40 alumn. 

I encourage our writers to elevate their stories with imagery and conversational storytelling whether writing a multi-page feature or a short business profile. That’s also what our readers should expect. Hats off to Alicia Belmore (Scout and Nimble) and Lydia Graves (The Bistro) for descriptive narrative that brought their stories to life. 

Watch for my writer’s kudos in this spot every month. (Spoiler alert: You’ll be seeing a slew of new bylines in the coming weeks.) If you have a comment for a writer, about a story, or something to bring to our attention, send it my way with “Letter to the Editor” in the subject line at jodie@comocompanies.com. 

I’m also open to hearing about the stories that you think we’re missing, and the issues that you think need more attention. Feel free to brainstorm those ideas and let me know. Meanwhile, thanks for reading.