I was blessed at a young age to have a mentor in this great newspaper business who loved to talk in clichés.

Frank Shepherd, the veteran sports editor at my hometown Coshocton Tribune back in Ohio, was a living relic from an old black-and-white newspaper movie. Frank typed with just two fingers, cursed at the air conditioner every time he sneezed and barked across the small newsroom when a rookie high school intern — that would be me — didn't nail a story or failed to ask all the right questions.

And my first editor leaned heavily on some weary expressions to make his points. He talked of keeping “an ace up his sleeve,” when conducting tough interviews. He encouraged me to dig up “skeletons in the closet” of sources when necessary, and he constantly preached the need to be “smart as a whip.”

Intolerant of excuses, Frank often preached, “Rick, this business isn't hard. It's just like stealing candy from a baby.”

It was easy to snicker back then. But the passage of time often reveals the wisdom of a nurturing mentor's words. In Frank's case, one of his oft-repeated phrases has not only stuck with me 25 years later, it also has resonated repeatedly in my head since early summer.

“If you're not moving forward, you're actually moving backwards.”

The economic challenges confronting our Coachella Valley and the rest of the country have been painful for all of us. With the exception of a few lawyers, I know of no company or industry that has escaped the sting of the worst financial collapse in 80 years, including the newspaper industry. You're smart readers. You can see how the decline in advertising has affected the thickness of our editions on some days of the week.

But Frank — and smart executives in all corners of our global economy — are right: The best companies find ways to overcome obstacles and enhance what is delivered to customers.

And that's what we're about to do here at The Desert Sun.

Even with the Coachella Valley's largest news staff, the deepest and most urgent Web site, and the most-accomplished journalists when it comes to in-depth public service and watchdog reporting, we've committed ourselves to moving forward. That's why we're launching 30 improvements over the 30 days of November.

It starts today.

Hopefully, you have noticed our expanded Sunday Opinion section that will more fully explore every week the valley's most pressing issues while also offering insightful, call-to-action solutions. Take a read below at Community Conversations Editor James Folmer's column that outlines the changes we're making in this corner of the newspaper.

You also will spot a new Sunday feature on Page E4 — the debut of KenKen, a wildly popular puzzle focused on math and logic that I'm convinced will be a hit in our sophisticated, puzzle-loving market.

Other improvements — big and small — will be rolled out throughout the month. We'll showcase them daily on Page One and in the appropriate section of the newspaper.

Let me give you a sneak preview of other new things headed your way:

• Starting Monday, you will see a redesigned Page A2 that provides a quick-read of the day's biggest headlines — in the valley, across the state, around the globe and on the front lines of war. Our new “7 by 7:30” package will give you snippets of the desert's top seven daily headlines and other useful info before you head out to start your day.

• We're introducing new columnists throughout the month. First out of the chute is veteran entertainment reporter Bruce Fessier. He launches Tuesday an engaging weekly look at the valley's burgeoning arts and entertainment scene. He'll focus on music, the theater scene, the clubs, the hot spots, can't-miss performances and other critical A&E issues. No one knows our arts scene better than Bruce.

• Features reporter Maggie Downs, already a mainstay on Sundays, will have a second column every week. On Wednesdays, she'll introduce you to the people, places, icons and unique touchstones of our desert. Ours is a rich valley teeming with fascinating characters and destinations. You will get to know them in stories that only Maggie can tell.

• We'll also introduce you to a new sports columnist (Shad Powers, an assistant sports editor); a new running and hiking column (Michael Felci, our entertainment and lifestyles editor); the debut of a close-to-home communities column (reporter Denise Goolsby); and a health-related column that focuses on medical news targeting our baby boomer readers (copy editor chief Barbara Lowell.)

• Reporter Judith Salkin will profile new home buyers — what went into the selection, purchase and decoration of their new abode — in our Saturday Home & Garden section. It will be joined by a new column focused on what's hot for your kitchen, home and garden.

• We also will have new faces in our Wednesday Food & Drink section, a Sunday Statehouse Insider feature by political reporter Erica Felci and thoughtful looks at the desert's rich history by Palm Desert Sun editor Jamie Pricer and its surprising and fast-changing diversity, as revealed by reporter Nicole Brambila.

• We also will be looking for contributions from you. Our new “In My Life” feature will allow you to share stories about what's important to you — from life's passages and challenges to your kids, pets, business, relationships and more — with the rest of the desert. We also will showcase photos that you take on our redesigned A2.

We're excited about these improvements and the chance to tell new stories in new ways.

But I know there's more we can do to enhance the morning ritual so many of you enjoy — flipping through The Desert Sun as you enjoy the day's first cup of coffee.

You'll see above a simple clip-and-send coupon that I encourage you to complete. What other improvements would you like us to consider? What are your story ideas? What's your best advice for the editor?

To paraphrase that well-worn cliché: How can we move forward?

Thanks for spending today — and hopefully the next 29 days of November and beyond — with us. I appreciate you reading The Desert Sun and mydesert.com

Rick Green is executive editor of The Desert Sun and mydesert.com. E-mail him at rick.green@thedesertsun.com, or call (760) 778-4637.