When I joined the newspaper 15 years ago, he was one of this institution's star reporters.

Not that he would ever have referred to himself that way. In our profession, it's a sign of utmost respect when your peers give you that distinction. And Eric Blom won that coveted honor at an early age.

At the time, in the early 1990s, he was in his late 20s and spearheading an investigation into the state's workers' compensation program. His in-depth, five-part series, which required him to spend five months immersed in Maine's complicated workers' compensation bureaucracy, found an ineffective system that cost millions in taxpayer dollars, stunted business growth and created an adversarial employer versus employee environment.

As the editor at the time, Lou Ureneck, wrote: "Blom's articles on workers' comp transformed the debate in Maine and led to major reform."

For a journalist, it doesn't get much better than that. In 1992, Blom's work won a prestigious national John Hancock award for excellence in business and financial journalism.

As the years went on, Blom continued to showcase his enormous reporting talents. Later, as city editor and business editor, he helped reporters hone their craft and taught younger journalists the fine arts of interviewing, distilling complex information and writing compelling stories.

Among his top editing assignments: directing coverage of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and learning everything we could about the two terrorists who traveled to New York via the Portland jetport.

Now, after 21 years at the Press Herald/Telegram, Blom is leaving journalism to join a public relations firm in Yarmouth.

He is wistful about his departure but excited about this next phase of his career, saying it is time to blaze new trails. "When I first got here, I used to joke that I was one of the youngest people in the newsroom," he said. If you measure youth by idealism, an energetic demeanor, constant optimism and an unfailingly positive outlook on life, then Blom still is a very young man.

His last day was Friday. Given the impact of his work at our newspaper, I wanted to tell readers a bit more about Blom, who most recently was our Money and Resources editor.

Said reporter Dieter Bradbury: "Eric's work on the workman's compensation issue was some of the most focused and effective journalism I've seen in 29 years at this newspaper.

"Not only did it have a tangible impact on state policy, but it was also highly readable, thanks to Eric's strong writing skills.

"That was no small feat, given the technical nature of the subject," Bradbury said. "Eric is a master of taking arcane, complex subjects and turning them into digestible, interesting stories. He developed that skill as a reporter and, as an editor, has shared his knowledge with others on the staff."

It is said that the best reporters make the best editors because those folks truly can appreciate all the work that goes into the crafting of a news story. They have been there; done that. Who better to help make your copy sing?

"Eric is a rare breed of manager," said reporter Tux Turkel. "Reporters are very independent-minded. Eric was able to elevate the performance of his staff by giving his reporters enough freedom to explore their beats while providing an overall direction.

"Never too busy to listen or help flesh out an idea. Always respectful, even when his sharp eye saw a hole in a story.

"Readers recognize reporter bylines. They're generally unaware of the contributions that editors like Eric have made to the story. On many levels, his contributions will be greatly missed," Turkel said.

Andrew Russell, assistant managing editor for news, noted the impact Blom has had in our newsroom, which has benefited from his deep knowledge of the Maine economy and its myriad businesses.

"It'll be strange to come in to work Monday and not find Eric pecking...