From all of us in the POND Trade Community, we thank you for your many years of service, Lora Lee Gelles.
Wow, I’m gonna miss you Lora Lee! You have been an exceptional steward of the POND Trade Magazine as well as a good friend. Your thoughtful approach and warm hearted nature made writing for you completely delightful! I will miss our late night back and forth getting things done! Keep up your great artwork! I am sure you will enjoy the extra time! Enjoy your retirement!!! Xoxo – Kelly Billing
This amazing woman will be missed dearly! I always smile when I think about how she really chopped it up with contractors like a boss lady, sipping bourbon and smoking cigars while talking business and the pond industry after hours at conventions! I’ll always have mad respect for Mrs. Lora Lee! Life is short, enjoy Koi. – Triplett
Lora Lee, Thank you for all your hard work promoting and informing our industry! You have always included great information about everything ponds and water features and kept us up to date on happenings with pond professionals all over. It’s been great to see you include perspectives from all across our industry! Best wishes and happy retirement! – Chris Ostrander
It’s been great having you as part of our little niche industry! Always enjoyed seeing you at events and sharing cocktails and stories! I hope you and your husband have some awesome retirement adventures planned! Cheers! – Paul Holderman
Thank you Lora Lee, for the hours you have spent creating an amazing publication for our industry. You’ve helped to make us all better! – Tim Wood
Lora has been wonderful to work with over the last few years. She was so patient with me as I navigated the opportunities she presented to DreamScapes to have our work in POND Trade Magazine. I remember having a great conversation with Lora at Pondemonium last year and am a little sad she is leaving. Blessings on the next chapters of Lora Lee Gelles’ life moving forward, and much gratitude for all of her help over the years! – James Seamys Hiestand
Thank you, Lora Lee, for your amazing work through the years helping create such a wonderful publication. It was a joy to work with you on article writing. Our company has really enjoyed the wonderful content you created during your tenure. AWM Water Features wishes you well in your future endeavors! – Mike Muyskens
Best wishes and blessings on your new journey, Lora Lee. It has truly been a pleasure to contribute to a wonderful magazine and work with you throughout the years. Your impact and dedication to our industry through POND Trade Magazine, has been nothing short of honorable. Thank you for your vision and impact on the pond world. – Dean Pipito
It was nice knowing you Lora Lee, I hope our paths cross again. I always enjoy seeing you in person. I hope you will still come around some of the industry events, albeit socially and more relaxed. You are a delightful person to be around. I have enjoyed riding tour buses with you and getting to know you. Enjoy your retirement. Paint. Do all the fun bucket list stuff, have fun. God bless. You have made the magazine great, when magazines and newspapers are dying. Thank you. I hope to see you again. This transition surprised me. Make it a great next chapter. – Kevin Soergel
It has been a pleasure to share our passion with POND Trade Magazine on multiple occasions. Throughout this journey, Lora Lee Gelles has guided us with her signature flair, ensuring each piece became a compelling read. Like a true diplomat, she navigated the editorial process with grace-sometimes stepping on our shiny new shoes without leaving a scratch. Lora Lee has been an absolute joy to work with, and we will deeply miss her. Wishing you a well-earned and wonderful retirement, my friend. Enjoy every moment! – Tom Dieck
Lora Lee was a great ambassador for the water garden industry. Always making sure to attend industry events and to promote the water garden marketplace. She will be missed by all of us who call her a friend. – Jeff Weemhoff
Doesn’t it feel good to do good. That was a guiding principle that fueled Lora Lee. Lora Lee took over the magazine during a very contentious time within the industry and became a uniter. Articles were manufacturer’s info advertisements for their products, and each manufacturer considered anyone not in their camp as the enemy. Lora Lee gave authorship back to the individual contractors doing the work – thus placing them in the spotlight instead of a brand name. This change of focus created more of a brotherhood of ponders and installers, while contributing to the advancement of installation techniques. What she accomplished was no easy task. It was her positive leadership and the delivery of a quality publication that the whole industry benefited from. – Rick Smith
I met Lora Lee at an IPPCA event just prior to her buying the magazine. She was on pins and needles with excitement and a little apprehension. She did not even know how to spell Koi! However, her growth and dedication turned a good magazine into a great force to encourage construction knowledge, water dynamics, and business building concepts. Lora Lee’s idea and promotion of the industry wide Water Artisans of The Year actually help promote unity among different manufacturers. This was huge. Personally, you would never find Lora Lee without a smile on her face and encouragement in her heart. She will be dearly missed by so many. My best to you, Lora Lee! Enjoy these following years you have earned. – Max Taylor
It’s been an incredible journey watching Lora Lee turn POND Trade Magazine into the powerhouse it is today. Under her leadership, the magazine has blossomed into a dynamic, in-depth resource for contractors, distributors, and manufacturers alike. POND Trade Magazine has truly become the pulse of the waterscape industry, all thanks to Lora Lee’s vision. I’ll never forget when Lora Lee first approached me at the 2013 Water Garden Expo, asking me to write an article for the upcoming issue. Despite it being one of the busiest times of the year for me, I managed to hit the deadline on the last day. Over the next few years, I got to know Lora Lee even better, and I had the privilege of joining the POND Trade Magazine editorial committee. It’s been an amazing ride, collaborating with Lora Lee for the past 12 years. I even have the honor of being the first contractor to teach Lora Lee how to operate an excavator—a memory I’ll always treasure. One trip that stands out was when Lora Lee, Max Taylor, Mike White, Mark Gibson, and I headed to the Louisville Hardscape Show to see the latest in the waterscape/hardscape world. While the trade show was fantastic, it was the time we spent on the Bourbon Trail that really stole the show. We enjoyed great food, sipped bourbon, and shared laughs with a cigar or two. Yes, Lora Lee is a fan of a good cigar! There are countless moments—both work-related and just for fun—that I’ll always cherish. So, all that’s left to say is smile, smile, smile. We love you, Lora Lee! – Ben Timmermans
