As you read this column, you might be thinking, “Who is Scott Seltz, and why have I not read anything from him in The National Provisioner before?” 

That’s a good question — and here’s the answer: I am the publisher of The National Provisioner and have been since May of 2012. Yet, I haven’t felt the need to talk to you until now, and here’s why:

You have been reading more of The National Provisioner and Independent Processor magazine issues we send your way, visiting our Web site more often and staying longer, subscribing to our Provisioner Prime eNewsletter and sharing its industry news items with your colleagues. The National Provisioner team has been putting a lot of effort into making our family of products meet your information needs better than anyone else in the past year, and we thank you for noticing and responding.

The print redesign that debuted last November brought a more visually inviting reading environment to help you navigate to the articles that matter most to you. We would be the first to admit that if magazines can be compared to houses, ours was getting a bit cluttered and needed a fresh coat of paint.

The number of visitors to ProvisionerOnline.com has doubled in the past 12 months, as we posted more processing articles, industry news items, and podcast and video interviews based on what you and your colleagues find useful and informative. We have made it easier to find our stories and reports in your Web searches, as well, so you can spend more time reading and less time digging.

Last year, we also redesigned our Provisioner Prime eNewsletter, offering a cleaner, less congested, more straightforward format. We know you appreciate the new look, as more of you are clicking through to read our stories than ever before.

Now, I’m here to announce our latest innovative media delivery tool: This month, we have launched Provisioner Mobile — the first smartphone and tablet app (for your Apple and Android devices) in the industry that gives you ALL the information we provide, not simply the digital edition of the print magazine. It is available for free to download now from iTunes and Google Play by searching for “National Provisioner” — and is a convenient way to view any of the stories, podcasts or videos we produce, anytime, anywhere.

Going forward, The National Provisioner will continue to make its content available to you, where you want it and when you want it. That’s my promise to you.