This week marks an important date for this newspaper – as well as for businesses throughout the county.

Today, March 3, marks National Employee Appreciation Day, which falls on the first Friday of March every year. 

Employee appreciation day focuses on employees across all industries and is a day to celebrate and recognize all achievements and contributions.

What would any of our businesses be without great employees? Not much.

In fact, this newspaper you are reading right now is a tribute to the hard-working staff of the Democrat, many of whom have been on staff for years and are dedicated to giving our 20,000 readers the finest coverage of Sullivan County news found anywhere.

This celebration of staff also comes at a great time for the Sullivan County Democrat – which recently celebrated a terrific milestone of its own – 132 years of continuous publication and the 96th Anniversary of the Stabbert family purchasing the newspaper.

Fred Stabbert Sr. purchased the Democrat on February 2, 1927 from an Ithaca attorney named William Heidt. 

The Sullivan County Democrat had had ten different publishers from 1891 until 1927, when Stabbert Sr. made the decision to own a newspaper.

For the past 96 years, only three names have graced the nameplate as publisher, Fred W. Stabbert Sr., Fred W.  Stabbert Jr. and Fred W. Stabbert III.

The Stabberts are truly thankful to the hundreds of employees who have worked hand in hand with the family to produce this community newspaper during the past nine-and-a-half decades and look forward to many more years to come – especially February 2, 2027 – when the Stabbert family will celebrate 100 years of ownership.

Today, the Stabberts would like to publicly acknowledge the great job its staff does, week in and week out, in delivering the Democrat to your door.

We truly have been blessed to be able to work at a job we love, to be surrounded by talented staff and also to be embraced by a community that has certainly changed many times over but continues to support a local business dedicated to serving the residents of our great county. Thank you all.