A wealthy businessman once said, “Making money is tough, but keeping it is even tougher.” The same can be said of employees—hiring good people is tough, but keeping them is even tougher. Such is the case with most businesses, especially for small to medium-sized companies. Attracting talented individuals takes time and money, yet it is the cornerstone to building a successful business. Once you hire individuals with the right education, experience, work ethic, and attitude, the process of working to keep them begins. When they depart for greener pastures, it hurts. Pass the Tylenol.

Kristin Trompeter, senior editor of Home Health Care Dealer/Provider magazine for the past 3 years, recently left our organization, not for another company, but to travel abroad. No, I am not kidding. Kristin decided to pursue her dream of seeing the world. A cynic might say that life was so bad at Dealer/Provider that Kristin left the country. In reality, Kristin was one of our happier and more content employees. Yet, when a young person decides to chase her dream, sometimes it is best to just step aside.

While we will certainly miss Kristin, we are happy for her just the same. It is not everyone who will shuck traditional wisdom and pull up roots to travel around the world. Most of us think about giving up our jobs and traveling overseas at one time or another, but very few actually do it. Some will say that Kristin is doing something “too different.” Kristin was different all right. Right from the start, she showed up for work on time, rarely called in sick, worked a complete 40-hour week, often put in extra time—including working weekends and taking work home—never complained, and was as pleasant to the readers, advertisers, and writers of Dealer/Provider as she was to her fellow employees. With Kristin, it was never, “My name is Jimmie and I’ll take all that you can gimmie.” Kristin understood that in order to succeed in life and especially at work, dues must be paid.

She was hired as the editor for Dealer/Provider, worked her way up to senior editor, and earlier this year, she took on the additional role of managing editor for all 12 titles of the Allied Healthcare Group. Her work ethic, organizational skills, and attention to detail enabled her to take on additional duties and still maintain a life outside of work. She was not a workaholic but rather, a hard worker. By noon, she got more work done than most people accomplish in an entire day. Early on, she let it be known that she wanted to advance within the company and, at one point, she was passed over for a promotion. Even though she was frustrated and her ego slightly bruised, she did not wear her disappointment on her sleeve and she acted as if nothing had happened. When we explained that we did not feel the time was right for her to advance, she took it all in stride. A little over 1 year later, she was promoted. Patience is a virtue and good things do happen to people who are willing to exercise a bit of patience, swallow their pride, and leave their ego at the front door.

The greatest compliment ever paid to Kristin was one that she and I both heard often, when readers, advertisers, and writers alike asserted: “Don’t ever lose that Kristin, she’s the best!” Well, Kristin’s gone, her replacement as senior editor for Dealer/Provider has been hired, and another senior editor has taken on the role of managing editor. We are confident that the new senior editor for Dealer/Provider will eventually mirror Kristin’s knowledge and respect within the home health care industry and there is no doubt that senior editor Kristen Pratt, who has taken on the additional role of managing editor, will rise to the occasion.

On Kristin’s last day, I left the office at 5:30. Walking past her office, I noticed the light was still on. Looking inside, I saw Kristin still hard at work, putting the finishing touches on the September issue. Like I said, Kristin’s different. N