From the Publisher
by Herb Sims
FROM THE PUBLISHER

he year of 2008 should be full of opportunities and challenges. In Around Town Community Magazine we have watched our communities of Alpharetta, Milton, and Windward grow and change during 2007. But the good character of Around Town Alpharetta/Milton/Windward has remained the same. It is the strength of families and individuals, along with the good things we have in common, that forms strong communities. That good strength will be needed in 2008 as we encounter a local economy that recovers from some battering in the past year. Our desire is that you see the good of Alpharetta/Milton/Windward in Around Town Magazine for this coming year.

Will we be able to keep a sense of community? The future is yet to be determined, but if 2008 is anything like 2007, our community is stronger than many think. There are good things happening as the Alpharetta/Milton/Windward community grows. Around Town Alpharetta/Milton/Windward will be right in the middle of helping showcase this strength through bringing you images and stories that reflect and celebrate life. Stories of kids, moms, dads, grandparents, teachers, and community servants reveal the goodness of our area.

Our purpose at Around Town Alpharetta/Milton/Windward is to find and celebrate the positive attributes of our community. Finding the good can be difficult in the sea of negative press that surrounds us. Informing you of the hard work and success of your teachers and students, focusing on the community activities, events, and moments of celebration around Alpharetta/Milton/Windward will enrich your daily life.

And we can have fun doing it.

Don’t miss the opportunity to vote for the Best of the Best businesses in the Alpharetta/Milton/Windward communities. It is time for Around Town Alpharetta/Milton/Windward’s second annual Readers’ Choice Awards and the ballot is on pages 36 and 37. Let the competition begin!

Don’t miss Chrysalis Experiential Academy on the cover this month. As we met several of their students, we found that Chrysalis is a school where students can truly blossom. You can find their story on pages 16 and 17. So as the community grows, we grow with more pages to bring you more information and more good news. Our advertisers have supported this philosophy, and you have supported our advertisers tremendously. Around Town Alpharetta/Milton/Windward has become known as one of the most effective affordable forms of marketing to grow a business in Alpharetta/Milton/Windward. This has resulted in over 80% of our advertisers having long term relationships with us.

It has been amazing to see everything come together in 2007, and 2008 promises to bring more of the same. The unique combination of community writers that understand Alpharetta/Milton/Windward, a continuous flow of emails from you letting us know what is happening; and diligent digging to bring you the best unbiased information provides a combination that results in success. Our success is due to a wonderful staff and a wonderful community that has partnered with us to look for the good in Alpharetta/Milton/Windward. That good is everywhere!