This article originally appeared in the November 2020 issue.
I promise I’m not knocking virtual shows. I actually applaud the efforts by those who try something—anything—during this pandemic to help keep us connected as an industry. However, if I’m being completely honest…I’m still not a fan of virtual shows. Canceling my annual Las Vegas guys’ trip—ahem, I mean canceling the SEMA Show this year—is like telling a 5-year-old Christmas has been postponed. While the announcement wasn’t all that surprising after the year we’ve all endured, it is still hard to take. At this point I’m not planning on navigating an online SEMA Show and in fact, I wish they would have just flat out canceled it. For those who disagree and feel a virtual SEMA is better than no SEMA at all, I suggest you sit back and take a sip of your virtual beer and then let’s talk.
As a magazine we have participated in a couple of virtual shows and let’s just say those days were a little slow behind the monitor as we sat and waited for someone to “click by” for a chat. For one show we were asked to write a short description of who we are as a magazine and that actually got me thinking.
Our national publication is not based out of a big city office with a breathtaking skyline view. Of course, you could argue what the definition of “breathtaking” is because out our office windows are rows of diesel pickups driven by most of the employees here at Harris Publishing.
Giant cities such as New York and Los Angeles seem to be the Mecca for the publishing business, and if I were a little jealous, well, who could blame me? Some of these powerhouse publishing companies offer 30 plus magazine titles with in-house staffs larger than some of the neighboring cities in my hometown. It could be a little intimidating to say the least. But that’s not who we are. We may be a smaller company by comparison, but every day we bring to work a passion for this industry that can’t be measured by numbers alone.
I often am asked why Diesel Tech is based in Idaho instead of in a larger city. Why? Because this is where people use and abuse their diesel trucks on a regular basis. Our community boasts of farmers, construction workers, as well as outdoor enthusiasts who not only believe in diesel pickups, but depend on them as well.
Popular magazine builds such as Honey Badger, Mile Marker, Big Blue, Date Night, Dirt Toy, Editor’s Pick and others aren’t just project trucks; these are our own personal trucks and when we’re not tinkering with them, we’re out camping, dirt biking, boating or off in the hills on our snowmobiles with them. Without diesel trucks, we wouldn’t be able to enjoy our favorite outdoor activities.
Simply put, we don’t just cover diesel trucks—we are diesel trucks and everything they stand for. We’re a grass roots, hard-working “dirt under our fingernails, diesel in our veins” type of a publication. We are diesel and that’s why we are Diesel Tech Magazine.
We’ll never be a publishing company based in a big city and we’re okay with that. Being who we are and where we’re located allows us to relate to our readers because many of you share the same passions and backgrounds that we do. And while we’re not always able to fully express our enthusiasm for the industry at a virtual show, just know that we’re grateful to be a part of it and are always looking to help grow the diesel pickup segment because diesel is in our blood.