Eight years ago today, a small band of journalists gathered around a kitchen table in Carson City and produced the first edition of The Nevada Independent.

We had no idea how it would be received as we hit “publish,” but I can still recall the excitement and exhilaration as we saw our work appreciated. We were a small but mighty group of a half-dozen employees, and never did I think we would triple in size and become Nevada’s only statewide news organization.

Your State. Your News. Your Voice. It wasn’t just a motto; it was a way we approached our mission every day.

Eight years!

As we celebrate this milestone today and remember that leap of faith we all took, I am gratified and thankful – gratified that we have kept true to our mission and thankful for the community’s embrace and the people who have made The Indy what it is today.

I like to say, not out of false modesty or excessive glibness, that this is the most satisfying endeavor in my long journalism career and the one that has the least to do with me. It’s true. I had the idea and raised a bit of money, but the people who have staffed every aspect of The Indy deserve credit for our endurance. They never stopped believing, never stopped working, never raised a white flag. I hired some of the best people and journalists of my life, and it has been a privilege to work with and know them.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the other part of the equation: the thousands of donors, large and small, who have given to our 501(c) (3) nonprofit. In times of trouble and not, corporations, foundations and individuals – thousands of them – have given to us because they believed in The Indy. We could not have done this without (apologies, Blanche) the kindness of strangers, not to mention more than a few friends, too. Every one of them is disclosed on the site, and my appreciation is boundless for how we have, thanks to them, become ingrained in the community of this state we love.

I am also deeply appreciative of all of the media organizations that have partnered with us, from rural newspapers to Vegas PBS to KUNR. They have enriched our coverage, and I value them more than I can say.

Eight years!

This experience has changed me, too. Having recently turned Medicare-eligible age, I have become more wistful. I feel such pride in having been able to hire such talented reporters and watch them thrive. I miss original Indyers such as Megan Messerly, now a star at Politico; Jackie Valley, a master storyteller doing what only she can do at The Christian Science Monitor; Daniel Rothberg, an incredibly diligent reporter who will be an author and have an advanced degree soon; and, of course, Elizabeth Thompson, my trusted No. 2 who helped make all of this possible before she left to find personal bliss in California.

I miss others who have left, too, including those I had to lay off about a year ago. I will always consider them part of The Indy. But I am thrilled that two other originals, Michelle Rindels and Riley Snyder, fell in love and married a few years after they started with us and now lead this organization. I owe them both so much, and I know they will lead The Indy into the next chapter.

Eight years!

Through the years, to echo another Nevada journalist, reports of our death have been greatly exaggerated. There have been those who tried to hurt us, from no-life trolls to major political players to other journalists. There was a time when that might have bothered me, but I have learned to better heed my own advice to my staff: Ignore the ankle-biters and rock-throwers and just do the job.

The job has never been more important. This is a fraught time for journalism, with partisan excesses at a nadir and an incoming federal administration that not only has disdain for the media but has threatened us. To us, this is just noise. We will continue to do what we have done for the last eight years: report on Nevada as deeply and broadly as we can, provide an op-ed page bursting with diverse opinions and listen to our readers when they provide constructive criticism. We will make mistakes, but we will acknowledge them and learn from them.

We will continue to demonstrate our independent journalism every day and showcase our transparency to earn more support from friends and newcomers along the way.

Eight years!

Happy Indyversary to us, thanks again to all inside and outside who have made this possible and, as I always say: Onward!

Jon Ralston is the CEO of The Indy.