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Since stepping into the role of publisher this year, I have had a lot on my plate. Running a company is entirely different from being one of its executives.

The best part of ownership is the autonomy — I no longer need clearance to launch new ideas and initiatives. The worst part, however, is the constant second-guessing. While I am lucky to have an exceptional team to strategize with and our retired founders as a resourceful sounding board, the reality remains: “The buck stops here.”

We’re working on some exciting changes to better serve our readers. Among the many ideas we are considering, one is the easiest — and smartest — choice.

Next month, we will launch a new edition, one that merges the Baltimore Beacon with our Howard County Beacon. In the past, both papers were small in page count, which limited our coverage. By combining both papers, we can provide even more information and resources to the readers of these two great communities.

This region is deeply personal to me. My family originally emigrated from Germany to Baltimore in the early 1800s. My parents were both born and raised there, and some may say I still carry a few “Bawlmore” colloquialisms. It’s in my blood.

Being a military brat and a veteran, I have lived in many places and lost some of my accent, but rest assured, if you get me talking, my “hon” will come out sooner or later.

I have a soft spot in my heart for the O’s, and I still refuse to forgive Robert Irsay for moving my beloved Colts in the middle of the night.

When I was young, Howard County was just the rural farm area you drove through between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore. Much has changed over the decades. Howard County’s growth from a rural landscape to a highly affluent suburban county has been remarkable to watch.

My brother and his family live in Columbia, so I visit often and have witnessed this growth firsthand. Given that Howard County abuts Baltimore County, it simply made sense to combine the papers as geographic neighbors.

When we started the Howard County Beacon 16 years ago, it was our only publication focused on just one county. Over the years, it became apparent that this strategy limited our ability to provide as much compelling editorial as we wanted.

Moving forward, we continue to value our strong partnerships. Our collaboration with the Howard County Office on Aging & Independence remains important, and their newsletters will continue to appear in this new edition as a useful resource.

Because our readers in both areas have been so loyal to the Beacon, we have decided to repay that loyalty with a more robust publication, packed full of compelling editorial content and relevant advertising.

So next month you may notice something different about the paper. It will have more pages than usual, which means more stories about fitness, nutrition, medical advances, clinical trials, technology tips, scam alerts, financial tips, travel destinations and local artists, authors and plays.

I hope you are as excited about the new Greater Baltimore edition as we are.