Tom is the owner and Publisher of Galleries West magazine. He was honoured in 2014 with the Alberta Magazine Publishers Association award for Achievement in Publishing.
The citation follows:
Publisher, writer, editor and sales executive—often simultaneously—Tom Tait is both an inspiring figure and a shaping force in Alberta’s publishing industry. For more than 30 years, he’s been an innovator in publishing operations and an advocate for privately owned magazines.
He was instrumental in the editorial development of two of the province’s longest-running magazines, Where Canadian Rockies and Where Calgary. Today, he owns and publishes Galleries West, a title known for its reach, content excellence, and award-winning web presence. It’s a tribute to Tait’s skill and efficiency that the magazine has been thriving since 2002 with only one full-time staff member.
Tait serves his community as a Rotarian and a member of Skål; he was a long-time AMPA board member; and he has created programs that bolster the tourism industry in Calgary, including the Mayor’s White Hat Award and the tourism faculty at the University of Calgary.
To colleagues, Tait is an essential source of mentorship and opportunity. His influence on Alberta’s publishing industry, from workflow management to digital strategy, community-building to quality standards, has not only expanded this field, but enriched it immeasurably.