Hi! My name is Maria Taylor, and I’m the newest addition to the staff at The NEWS. I’ll be working as associate editor until I get my own beat to cover (hot tip: Chances are it will be technology, so I’ll be the tech editor, which sounds awesome, geeky, and hip).

One of my career goals is to stay in journalism and out of PR for the rest of my natural life. So far, so good. One of my other goals is to make Crain’s 40 Under 40. I’ve got 13 years left; we’ll see how that goes. So, I’m super excited to be working here, as part of a huge, esteemed network of magazines, where I can write, report, and rip apart articles with a red pen to my heart’s content.

Granted, when I told my sister last month that I’d be covering the heating, cooling, and refrigeration industry, I got a bit of a blank look. “That needs to be covered?” she asked.

Apparently so, because it’s been covered here since 1926! Yes, I’m an incorrigible history nerd; my first job out of college was at Michigan History magazine, and I actually ran for city council in my hometown and won a seat in part because I wanted to see stronger protections for historic buildings.

Prior to starting at The NEWS, I’ve also written for the Observer & Eccentric, edited a magazine for preschool teachers, and freelanced for several community magazines in the Metro Detroit area. They’ve had different focuses, but no matter what I’m writing about or what rag it’s for, one thing in particular is my guide: Providing readers with information that makes a difference in their lives. Information you can use — and that you find valuable and interesting, whether that’s a development that will change a city landscape, the origins of kitty litter (yeah, that was from the history magazine), or how technology is helping create solutions to everyday problems.

That’s one reason why I’m looking forward to working for a trade publication — because for all of you out there on the front lines of the industry, this is where it’s happening.

And I’m honored to be a part of it.

I’ll do my best for you every week to keep up the great work that my colleagues here have been doing all the way back to 1926 and will continue to do in years to come.

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