As a youngster growing up in a pre-Internet world, weekly and monthly magazines played a valuable role in not only providing me with information, but also serving as a window into the larger world. I remember countless hours reading through Sports Illustrated, TIME, National Geographic, and many others. Through these magazines, I saw the world from a very different perspective than what I was experiencing growing up in rural Southside, Virginia.
While the Internet and other technological advances over the last forty years have made it much easier to find out about places and happenings across the globe, today, it often seems harder to find accurate and comprehensive information about what is taking place in our own backyards. That’s why community newspapers and niche magazines are quite popular during a time when many other print publications have disappeared.
In that context, I was thrilled to be asked to serve as guest editor for the September issue of TOWN magazine. As a local conduit into the world of art, entertainment, fashion, and community activities, TOWN plays a valuable role in keeping Upstate residents “in the know.”
In my role as executive director of Ten at the Top, I have spent the last twelve years witnessing first-hand the power that community and business influencers have in shaping the success of the Upstate. Given this experience, it seems appropriate for me to be serving as the guest editor for the Influencers Issue.
There are many ways that a person, company, or organization can exert influence. In the Upstate, many individuals, companies, institutions, and organizations have helped to influence the region’s emergence as a leading place to live, learn, do business, and raise a family. Additionally, trendsetters have helped to influence the Upstate, contributing to its increasing “cool factor.”
One of those trendsetters is Lacey Hennessey, a Clemson graduate whose name may not be familiar before reading about her in these pages, but you have likely seen her work. As a self-taught artist, Lacey has designed and painted many of the colorful murals that have popped up across the Upstate in recent years.
September also marks the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month. Few have done more in recent years to increase the profile of the Hispanic Community in the Upstate than Adela Mendoza, who you will also meet in this edition.
Lacey and Adela are just two of the many people featured in TOWN’s influencers issue. Whether you read the electronic version or, as I do, enjoy the printed pages, I hope this issue helps you find something new and learn more about some of the special things happening here in our own backyard.
