A little while ago, someone asked me where the year has gone. I never know the answer to that question. The only thing I know about time is that I’m constantly losing track of it. Life often seems to play on the fast-forward button. I only need to peer up at my oldest son, who was an infant when I helped launch Aggregates Manager, to know exactly how fleeting it is.

The fickle nature of time — or at least our perception of it — underscores why planning for the future is so important. Whether it’s for a personal goal, like my 14-year-old’s impending college education, or a business investment, such as the purchase of a new wheel loader or fractionated plant, being able to meet future goals requires a long-term plan and frequent monitoring.

An early and ongoing goal of mine has been to ensure that Aggregates Manager readers can turn to us to meet their information needs, both in print and online. When the magazine debuted its first issue at ConExpo-Con/Agg 1996, it did so with an unprecedented companion — the aggregates industry’s first magazine Web site. It was back in the day when e-mail was a new-fangled work tool and long before wireless routers were commonplace. In fact, we often tripped over phone lines running across the booth as curious show participants stopped in to view the Web site.

For a trip down memory lane, take a look at http://web.archive.org/web/19961028132451/http://www.aggman.com/. It seems embarrassingly simplistic now, but I was very proud when I finished creating that site and it went live. Even in its early incarnation, many aggregates producers bookmarked www.aggman.com and some even made it their home page. Today, you can visit the site via your iPhone or netbook to see the newest version.

To the numerous readers who have called or e-mailed me about the site, thank you for your patience. It took time to properly develop, but now offers an easy-to-navigate site full of useful features. If you love Operations Illustrated, click on that navigation button (on the left-hand side of the site). You’ll find an archive of .pdfs containing every segment published in Aggregates Manager. But, the site doesn’t just offer old favorites. There’s a sure-to-be new favorite as well: Aggregates Zone. It contains product releases, manufacturer listings, and much, much more. And be sure to check out Constructionpundit, a construction blog produced by our editors, as well as those of our sister magazines such as Better Roads and Equipment World.

Whether working on day-to-day business goals or long-term strategic planning, I hope that www.aggman.com plays an integral role in helping you achieve your goals.