The future is now.

Both for me, as I bid farewell to The News Tribune, and for my colleagues here who are going to do great things after I leave.

My decision to pursue other opportunities should not be confused with the notion that I don't think opportunities still exist at The News Tribune. I’m leaving the best job I’ve ever had, working with the best people I’ve ever worked with. So the decision was not an easy one.

I am indebted to the people of The News Tribune for the opportunities that I have before me now. Their willingness to innovate and experiment has provided me with the experiences that I am now invited to share with others in the industry at conferences and workshops. They encouraged me to bring an entrepreneurial spirit to the operation, which in turn led to a entrepreneurial spirit consuming me.

I will miss being a part of the great things the TNT will accomplish in the coming months and years. There are great advantages to having a web site with tremendous brand loyalty and thousands of visitors every day to test a new vision or a new idea. I will miss that, for sure.

Newsrooms will continue to innovate. But I feel that innovation on the business model should be more closely integrated to the content strategy than a traditional newspaper organization can allow. In effect, I’m placing a personal bet that developing new ideas for news and information that are tied to the business model is the best way to move the needle for local publishers.

It’s risky, for sure. But risk is inherent in entrepreneurship and transforming the business of local news and information won’t happen without a healthy dose of it.

I think it's an exciting time. But I just quit a great job to go off and do my own thing during the worst economy in recent memory, so I won't blame you if you think I'm crazy.

Cheers.