How did I get here? I moved back to FL 6 years ago to be the Regional Publisher/Market President for the Gainesville Sun, the Ocala Star Banner and the Leesburg Daily Commercial. I was excited to get back to FL as I had lived here previously for 11 years in much different markets – Key West, Miami Beach, Kissimmee. With a daughter, son-in-law and 2 granddaughters, as well as a ton of other family all in FL, it was great to be back. So even though I'm not from here (I'm a New Orleans native), I'm definitely now a Floridian!
I've been in newspaper and magazine publishing for about 30 years in several states - heading up advertising teams and being on the business side. I've also had a few years on the corporate side as a training/sales director. After being here for just 2 years, the Publisher positions were all eliminated, locally they also discontinued our specialty products - the old Gainesville Magazine and the Parade of Homes guide. Without a monthly or similar lifestyle magazine in the area, I made the decision to purchase the City Lifestyle franchise for this market and launched the Gainesville City Lifestyle, the area's monthly, upscale lifestyle magazine focusing on local businesses, arts, and the community. I think we’re unique in that way – that our content features are free for appropriate businesses and community leaders. And we’re free and available for anyone who'd like to receive it at their home or business.
Starting a business or buying a franchise like I did, it's not easy! It's a challenge to figure out the expenses and learning to be profitable. We’ve experienced great growth and improvements increasing our distribution and our monthly readership, which gives the featured people and businesses that much more exposure. Another big change is our social media marketing platform now offering paid meta advertising to our partners with guaranteed impressions starting at 15,000 per month.
What I really value is the importance of community involvement, giving back, and being out there! I’ve learned it's easy to burn out. Decide what you’re passionate about and what will help you - professionally, personally, spiritually, and focus on that. In addition to being a GAWN board member and Member Services Chair, I'm also a Gainesville Chamber Diplomat, a BANCF Ambassador, and a Rotarian. I'm pretty tapped out here but occasionally do go to other networking events outside of these organizations. Just choose carefully and the ones that make sense for you.
I joined GAWN though because I was looking for something exactly like this! I joined in December 2020, and I was SO HAPPY they were meeting in person and not on Zoom! At my very first meeting, I hardly knew anybody, but it was very easy to get involved, start meeting people, and feel welcomed. I also really like the wide variety of members and their business backgrounds. I like that we're not all from similar industries.
