Editor's Notes
By Dan Goodgame/Managing Editor

(FORTUNE Small Business) – Contributor Ed Welles is best known to FSB readers for his in-depth investigative stories--say, on health insurers that defraud small firms. But Ed recently allowed that he'd like an occasional change of pace and suggested several short pieces about successful small businesses that are built around a single individual. We liked his ideas so much that we're making them a recurring feature called Free Agent. The first, a profile of top PGA pro Fred Funk, is on page 38. Says Ed: "I've always admired people who can make a living by a singular talent." Ed, 53, lives in the Boston area, along with FSB executive editor Josh Hyatt, editor at large David Whitford, and contributor Patricia Gray. Josh, the boss of our Boston bureau, has worked with each of the others for years. They make a remarkable team, encouraging and goading one another. And they take full advantage of Boston's top business professors and venture capital investors, who provide tips for fresh small-business stories all over the country.

JOSH, 44, assigns and edits stories while also traveling widely to write his column, Business Edge, which explores the many flavors of American entrepreneurship--including, on page 20, a new "executive" bus line. David, 47, enjoys writing about family businesses, in part because "they force a family to interact on a daily basis well into adulthood, which most of us don't do." Working so closely can drive relatives mad--or draw them together, as in the case of Freeman Cosmetics, a Los Angeles firm recently repurchased by its founding clan, as chronicled by David on page 56. Patricia, 46, took some time away from FSB to run a health-related Internet firm. We're pleased to have her back, and she's drawing on her medical experience as she profiles a biotech entrepreneur on page 70.

A FINAL NOTE: You may have spotted something new about the cover of our magazine. On subscriber copies, we've changed the logo to emphasize our full name--Fortune Small Business--and to further distinguish ourselves from some of the other three-letter titles out there. But you can still reach us at editor@fsb.com. We welcome comments and suggestions.

DAN GOODGAME