Christopher S. Nelson 
The safe opens and there are rows of coins. I can’t count them, but I take a break from my homework to watch the front desk manager grab a few rows of notes and coins. She silently counts to herself and I watch, completely mesmerized. When she’s finished locking the door behind her, she’s discussing the numbers I’m tracing, and I answer her questions even though all I want to do is ask her for some money which she holds.
As an adult, I would wonder how I could have been hypnotized by something as simple as a safe. Especially when I graduated from high school and started working at the same grocery store where I grew up doing my homework. But the things we don’t understand or have never seen before make up the best mysteries.
Idaho Falls Magazineand was one of those mysteries for me when I started working at Harris Publishing. I watched and wondered before finally asking how the magazine was put together each month, learning from the efforts of my talented mentors before taking on the task myself.
I can now break down the steps I take part in monthly as I assemble Idaho Falls Magazine:
1. Describe the problem as a team.
2. The editor writes and assigns articles.
3. Once the deadline for assigned articles arrives, the editor verifies the submitted articles.
4. Share finished articles with the graphic designer.
5. The graphic designer creates an entire magazine, combining photos and text.
6. The magazine is repeatedly criticized for errors.
7. Ship the magazine to Falls Printing.
And that’s just what happens on the editorial side. Much more work is needed to ensure Idaho Falls Magazine is printed monthly, including the work of our sales staff, circulation manager, publisher, and the jobs of those at Falls Printing who handle the physical assembly of every magazine we print.
However, one of my favorite parts of being editor of Idaho Falls Magazine is the first-hand experience I get when I interview community members from diverse backgrounds for our monthly issues. For a day, I become an architect, a cashier, a jewelry store owner, a software engineer, or any number of responsibilities taken on by talented Idaho Falls residents.
Our business issue highlights your stories and the steps needed to get your work done. Just like our magazine, your business has its own assembly line and we love learning what we can get out of that process. Who knows? Perhaps a young mind will be inspired by what seems like a mundane task.
