In From The Range

From The Publisher

 

From The Publisher

 

Back in October, a little bird flew into the life of Western Shooting Horse. Her name was Elaine McPherson, and she turned out to be a majestic eagle—one who made a big mark on all of us, both personally and professionally.

 

Last year, Elaine answered an ad for a sales representative at the magazine, working on a commission basis, handling accounts in a variety of fields. In this tough economy, needless to say, her job was difficult and she made very little money.

 

What we didn’t know was that Elaine had business credentials far beyond those of that sales position. I hate to admit it, but when her resume came across my desk for the first time, I really didn’t pay it much attention. We needed a sales person, and she’d applied, so I hired her.

 

That was until the day she walked into my office and said something to the effect of, “I can’t help it anymore. I need to help you.”
What?

 

Elaine proceeded to tell me about her former career as the CEO of a large Southern California company and how she thought that Western Shooting Horse was in desperate need of a new business plan and direction.

 

At first I was skeptical, but then I reread her resume and realized she wasn’t kidding.

 

To make a long story short, I accepted Elaine’s offer and gave her the title of COO for Western Shooting Horse.

 

Elaine arranged for a weeklong meeting to carve out the business plan. Everyone was on board and the grueling meeting was a success. Our new CEO put us on track with a new budget, financial forecasts, job descriptions, business directions and most importantly, a clear set of goals in every facet of the operation.

 

Elaine proceeded to implement the plan and supervise all our efforts. All the time, she was developing a severe cough.

 

Over the Christmas holiday, Elaine went home to family with her five-year-old son Evan. It was during that time that Elaine was told her cancer had returned.

 

One week before she died on March 2, she emailed that she had returned to the East Mountains (not far from the WSH offices in Tijeras, NM) and that she was proud we were meeting our goals. Elaine promised that she would be in shortly to continue the plan.

 

Elaine McPherson and her son moved to New Mexico because she was tired of the rat race in Southern California. She wanted to be with horses and show Evan a rural lifestyle. And she did that. Elaine loved the mountains of our neighborhood, and we loved riding the trails with her.

 

We miss Elaine. But the gift she gave Western Shooting Horse, and the memory of her helping hand, remain with us.

 

Thanks, Elaine. Vaya con Dios.

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