Michael Stacy covers the inaugural Thinc Iowa conference in October 2011.
As I embarked on my first road trip to my first meetup on my first day at Silicon Prairie News, I tried to start my car. My car did not comply.
The battery was dead, which posed a problem: I was in Omaha. The meetup was in Kansas City. That’s a long way to bike in three hours’ time.
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Eventually, I was able to jump-start the car, and what was cause for a minor — OK, verging on major — meltdown that first day has since become a funny footnote in the story of my time at SPN: The start of a job involving some of the most energetic, driven people I know was delayed by a car that lacked the energy to be driven.
I’m not exaggerating when I say that the people I have encountered in my time at Silicon Prairie News have been an inspiration. In working with the startup community of the Silicon Prairie, I have been challenged, learned a ton and, above all, enjoyed getting to know some great people.
That’s what makes leaving Silicon Prairie News difficult. (And, before I continue: Yes, I realize I’ve just broken one of the cardinal rules of reporting by completely burying the lead.) I am departing next month to become the editor and first full-time employee of a new business publication that’s based in Columbia, Mo. and affiliated with the University of Missouri School of Journalism.
In a way, that destination is the perfect testament to what covering the Silicon Prairie has meant to me. You see, my move to SPN was a foray into foreign territory. I came here from a job at a 150-year-old newspaper, and the vast majority of my prior experience was as a sports reporter. As far as I was concerned, words like “pivot” and “vertical” were used in writing about basketball, not young companies. But, as I depart, it’s clear I have been bitten by the proverbial startup bug.
I thank you, the Silicon Prairie community, for that. I thank you for welcoming me with open arms. For having patience as I learned the ropes. For letting me tell your stories. Although I won’t be telling those stories on a daily basis much longer, I hope you will keep in touch.
I thank the team at Silicon Prairie News for giving me a great opportunity and, subsequently, for enduring my quirks — the cringe-inducing puns at every turn, the predilection for blaring edgy rap music on office cleanup days. Working with Jeff, Dusty, Danny, Geoff, Brittany, Kim, Regan and SPN’s small army of interns and freelancers has been a privilege. Although I’m leaving Silicon Prairie News, I will remain a friend, follower and supporter from afar.
In short, I thank everyone who’s had a hand in shaping my experience at Silicon Prairie News, because — unlike my maiden road trip as an SPN employee — it’s been a fantastic ride.
Credits: Thinc Iowa photo by Anna Jones | Art of Photography and Ikonix Studio. Michael Stacy headshot by Malone & Co.
Michael Stacy has worked as an editor at Silicon Priarie News since March 2011. You can find him on Twitter at @jmichaelstacy or reach him by email at jmichaelstacy@gmail.com.
