As I sit in my office surrounded by dozens of marketing props, logoed mugs, and a very busy calendar, I have a lot to be grateful for this year. This year has been probably one of the busiest years to date, but I don’t think our team would have done anything differently.
Photo Caption: The Alabama Heritage team gathered for its annual holiday lunch. (From top): Cindy Sanford, Susan Reynolds, Laura Buchanan McElroy, Caroline Gazzara-McKenzie, and Rebecca Todd Minder.
When we kicked off 2024, we were in the silent phase of a complete redesign. And when I tell you we were ready to shout our joy from the rooftops, this was a difficult secret to keep. We welcomed a new art director, Laura Buchanan McElroy, whose indescribable talent has helped us fulfill our vision.
In April, we launched the newly redesigned Alabama Heritage magazine, receiving positive feedback from our readers and the historical community. It was incredible reading the subscriber responses. We were truly humbled.
If one redesign wasn’t enough, my long-term project was to redesign our website. This project was, and probably still is, like one of my children. In six months’ time, we completely migrated our old website to the new platform.
The new website continues to provide the same caliber of exclusive content, but allows us to do so much more. Our previous website was unable to host videos, search through more than 150 issues of the magazine, or even meet ADA requirements. I am proud to say that Alabama Heritage is 100 percent ADA compliant, and will continue to serve our communities in variety of ways.
Just when we thought we were going to cruise into the new year, we decided to launch our brand-new podcast, Coffee & History: A Conversation with Alabama Heritage. What can we say? We like to do new things!
We hope you join us twice a month to learn more about the magazine, Alabama’s history, and more. And if you like our podcast, make sure you share it with your loved ones!
Lastly, I want to take a moment to thank our student workers: Camryn Haag, Kate Herndon, Clara Hurst, and Talula Belle Scott. Camryn is my right hand, the one who maintained social media and our old website while I worked to migrate to our new site. Kate, Clara, and Talula Belle work closely with our customers to provide excellent service. Each one of them is a vital member of our team, and we appreciate them so much.
All of us at Alabama Heritage wish you and yours a safe and happy holiday season. We’re excited for 2025 and all that we have in store.
Caroline Gazzara-McKenzie
Marketing and Digital Media Manager
