Reporter’s Notebook: Twenty Years a Minnesotan

My Facebook memories have a way to remind of the good things in. my life – and the not so great ones. 

Don’t worry, this is a memory worth celebrating.

At the end of July, I celebrated my 20^th anniversary since moving to Minnesota. It was something I could not have thought of before I moved here. And, yet, I made it through the winters, the mosquitoes, “Minnesota Nice” and came out on the good end of things. 

The path to arriving at this point began 60 years ago. In all, I spent the first 32 years in my native state of California. I bounced between the Los Angeles Basin and the San Francisco Bay Area. As much as I wanted to succeed, I never found the groove to follow towards getting there. A late undergraduate degree may have been my real highlight of those 32 years.

A move East almost moved the needle in my life. The Washington, DC area yielded some success, but I always felt that I was behind in everything. It did yielded some life lessons that I employ today. That I will celebrate my four years living near the Nation’s Capital. 

Jumping over to the Midwest, I felt like I was in transition. Not just climate-wise, but personally. I never gelled with Madison, Wisconsin. If one think I took from that experience in the early 2000s was the start of my media career.

Then, I arrived in the Twin Cities. This place showed its economic solidity, along with the possibilities as a literary artist. In less than a decade, that became a career in media by creating automotive content. 

In the past 20 years, Minnesota became the state where my writing and media work completely took off. I could've done it elsewhere at the level I am producing today, but I'd rather not beat myself to a pulp with excuses and "reasons." 

One thing that I found was a challenge for me was the disadvantage I had since I'm not in one of the larger media hubs – Los Angeles, Detroit, New York, Washington, DC, etc. – to access stories and subjects. Other colleagues have accomplished working in automotive media field while living in this state.  Still, I made it work. 

The results you have witnessed. Be it from a position of leadership at a magazine. Or, the growth of this website that is truly the heart of my work. Not to mention all of the inroads made amongst my fellow professionals, industry contacts, and people from the community. All of these stakeholders helped in rising to the challenge towards a level of success. 

The important part of connecting and engaging with these stakeholders were the connections that were made towards today’s milestone. You are probably one of them. I have been fortunate to connect with you over the past 20 years. That includes the friends I made since – and before – I moved here. I may have accomplished a lot, but I know that I'm far from finished. 

With that said, thank you for making these 20 years a productive and satisfying period in my life. I certainly found a home after 40 years of “wandering” to plug into a place that fosters creativity, engagement, and success. 

So, 20 years a Minnesotan? Youbetcha!

All photos by Randy Stern