Did you hear that loud “Thud!” this morning? It was either our massive Profile edition landing at your doorstep or myself and the rest of The Tribune staff collapsing.

Each and every year, the entire Tribune team spends more than three months hard at work on this nearly 100-page special edition that showcases many of the great things that makes Lawrence County so special.

The section is a collection of stories and photos that span topics from recreation to education to healthy living and much more.

With Profile having been honored by the Associated Press as the best special section several times, we always set the bar high and strive for perfection.

Every Profile is different, each filled with dozens of tiny successes and some challenges as well.

This was my seventh go round with the project that puts every single Tribune employee to the test because it requires long hours, time management, sacrifice and lots of hard work.

But I couldn’t ask for a better team with which to tackle a challenge like this.

Staff reporters Teresa Moore and Benita Heath were joined by part-time writers Tamera Rembert and Jennifer Chapman to produce some tremendous stories that featured some of the greatness of our region.

Photographer Jessica St. James worked countless hours and snapped thousands of photographs to ensure that no one has to use their imaginations to picture what each story is about.

Sports editor Jim Walker made sure that sports flowed smoothly while the newsroom stayed focused on Profile.

Graphic artists Kandi Thompson and Kelli Jameson amazed me at every turn with their efficiency and speed in which they designed quality ads and attractive news pages.

The sales staff of Shirley Justice, Bonita Creger, Doug Pinkerton, Chad Bellomy and Gina Milum and ad manager Shawn Randolph did a tremendous job of working hard during uncertain economic times to make sure advertisers understood how Profile can help them reach thousands and thousands of potential customers.

We wouldn’t be able to do this without the support of all our loyal advertisers that understand that advertising is an investment in their own success — and advertising in this edition is also an investment in the community.

Press foreman Bo Elliott, pressman Mike Riffe and mailroom workers Gary Cochran, Bud McClain and Chad Sheridan had the daunting task of getting the pages printed, looking sharp and all packaged together. They passed with flying colors!

That leads perfectly into our Circulation staff that includes home delivery manager Josh Morrison and Debbie Milem who work with a dedicated group of newspaper carriers who are contracted to get the paper to your door.

None of the other items mean much unless we can get the newspaper into your hands. We hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed creating it.

We love the result and the process — but just don’t ask us to do it again until next February.

Michael Caldwell is publisher of The Tribune. To reach him, call (740) 532-1445 ext. 24 or by e-mail at mike.caldwell@irontontribune.com.