Just like you out there drillin' your hearts out, I've been busy with editor-type stuff. But, I can talk in more detail about some of that stuff now: National Driller has a new look for July.

We've worked behind the scenes on it for months. We redesigned everything to have a more modern look and feel, and now it will print on nicer glossy paper. I've looked forward to this issue for a long time. In fact, updating the look of the magazine has topped by to-do list since I took over a year and a half ago.

National Driller has a whole new look for July 2014.

Part of that redesign is outlook. We have codified the broad sweep of drilling that the magazine covers. Our markets sing proudly from right under our name on the cover: water, energy, construction, environmental, mining. I've taken a broad view of drilling since joining National Driller. My readers and advertisers already do. This change just sets in ink what we already do.

Of course, we're not going to forget our water-well roots. We launched this redesign to coincide with the South Atlantic Well Drillers Jubilee next month. Both Jubilee and National Driller have long legacies of serving drillers, and our decision to launch now reinforces that.

The redesign doesn't change our goals or values. You'll still find the same columnists and stories about interesting drillers and drilling jobs. The classifieds will still be the best trading post in the industry. And we'll continue to add to and expand what we do to better serve readers.

So, keep your eyes on your mailbox. A new National Driller is on its way. We hope you like it as much as we do.

Stay safe out there, drillers.

PS: I want to extend a thank you to the folks at Halco Rock Tools. They invited National Driller to their open house last week, and were great hosts. Read more about that in June's issue. In the meantime, you can check out photos from the event here.