The 10-4 team is made up of amazing people with varied skill sets who complement each other and work well together. Shannon Linss (54) is one of the key people who make up our beloved magazine. She is married to our very own co-owner and editor Dan Linss and wears many hats within the company. With all that she brings to the table, in life and business, everyone needs a Shannon in their lives.
Dan and Shannon have been together since they were teenagers and married since 1990. At 17, she got a job at a home builder in Southern California as the receptionist. Working her way around the company, she went on to do some accounting work, and after the company got sold and renamed, she became an outside consultant, working part-time, and training their new employees on the accounting software. This was also a job where she gained a number of lifelong friends she still has today.
The International Trucking Show in Las Vegas was the first show Shannon attended in 1995, not long after 10-4 Magazine began in 1993. Transitioning to working from home, her involvement with the magazine transitioned, as well. In addition to attending truck shows and working in the booths, she also began helping with distribution and managing 10-4’s team of delivery drivers. Later, she added travel planner to the shelf of hats she wears.
As far back as she can remember, the one thing Shannon always wanted to be was a stay-at-home mom. As time went on and kids came, the couple realized that they did not want to raise their kids in the big city, so they moved to the peaceful and quiet foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, just east of Fresno, in 2005, where they still reside today (even though their kids are all grown and gone now).
Over the years, while raising their kids and handling 10-4 responsibilities, as well, Shannon has always been part of the big picture at 10-4 Magazine, and a big helper and supporter to her husband Dan, who was (and still is) our editor in chief and production manager. But in 2019, with the loss of Erik Sieben, another transition for her would soon take place, as Dan took an ownership role and, a couple years later, Jean Osugi, our longtime office manager, would decide to semi-retire at 80 years old.
Today, Shan and Dan still work together every day, and continue to work on that balance of home and business, since their office is in their home. She is an organizer by nature, so with Dan’s loaded plate of work, Shannon picks up the pieces to hold everything together. When not working, they live where they can enjoy the contentment of just being home, cooking, and tending to their pets. They have three amazing kids – Peyton, Parker (one of 10-4’s production assistants) and Paige – along with a variety of four-legged fur babies, as well.
The many hats Shannon wears today at 10-4 Magazine still include travel coordinator and distribution manager, but she also handles the bookkeeping, fielding calls for the magazine, and maintaining the subscription list – but her involvement goes above and beyond that. As with any small business, everyone does whatever needs to be done, and she is no different.
Anytime Dan and Shan travel to a show, they try to plan some photo shoots of trucks, along with a little personal time, when possible, because the best part of her job is the fun she gets to have with all the wonderful people they meet – and she gets to do it all with her best friend and partner – her husband Dan. And after 34 years of marriage and almost 20 years of working together, side by side in their home, it’s amazing these two still want to spend so much time together, but they do.
Since the first time I had the opportunity to be around these two when Dan was taking pictures, I’ve said, “I need a Shannon.” We laugh, and laugh, and laugh, but honestly, when she and Dan team up, she does an amazing job of blocking, corralling, fetching lenses and such, talking, proofing pics, and distracting, which all make Dan’s job easier. The photo proofing she does is while Dan is photographing – his camera is set up to send the pics he’s taking directly to her tablet, so while he’s busy shooting, she is a second set of eyes, watching what he is doing, and making sure there are no glares, no people in the reflections, and that the angles are the best they can be. This is beneficial, especially when time is of the essence, and it is imperative to get that “perfect” money shot.
If you haven’t met Shannon, seek her out at a show and introduce yourself. Our magazine is about making connections, sharing our love of big rigs, and providing our readers with an insight into the lives of the truckers we write about. Shannon may handle many areas behind the scenes, but to know her is to love her, and everyone needs someone like her in their life! Thanks for all you do, Miss Shannon – because we couldn’t do it without you.
