By Dave Abrams, Managing Editor
“Make All Preparations To Get Underway” was a phrase I heard every time my first ship, the USS Kidd (DDG-993), was about to start its next mission. Everyone knew what the line meant, what their immediate job was, and the ship would spring to life with activity. That’s the phrase that was going through my mind as I concluded the deal with Philips Publishing to take over the on-line newsletters of their iconic publications, Pacific Maritime Magazine and Fishermen’s News.
I’m Dave Abrams, CEO and owner of Training Resources Maritime Institute, a maritime training school headquartered in San Diego. Although I am relatively new to the industry, having taken over the company in 2018, I quickly became a fan of Pacific Maritime and Fishermen’s News, and those publications helped me come up to speed on the industry. So when I learned that Philips Publishing was going to wind down their operations, I reached out to Chris and Peter Philips to thank them for their contributions, and see if there was an opportunity to revive the publications. That was 5 weeks ago.
My core business mission is training and education. Education is the sharing of past knowledge and experiences. News is the sharing of current knowledge and experiences. (Just making a point, not intended to offend any educators who I am sure share current knowledge as well!). So to expand into the news business was really just an extension of the current mission.
I am fortunate to be able to keep the same team that had been putting together both the PMM On Line and FN On Line newsletters, and even more fortunate to have Peter Philips as my advisor and educator. I feel privileged and honored to be able to carry on part of the legacy that the Philips family built over decades and will do my best to execute our new mission and make them proud.
So we are underway. I’ve not driven this ship before so please bear with me as I figure out how she handles. But thank you shipmates, for joining me on this voyage, and please feel free to reach out to me with your thoughts and ideas of how we can make Pacific Maritime OnLine and Fishermen’s News OnLine better for you. Be safe out there.
You can reach Dave Abrams at dave@maritimepublishing.com
