Leadership Group Visits State News

DOVER – Members of Leadership Central Delaware visited the Delaware State News Thursday for Communications Day, taking a tour and participating in a reporting exercise.

The leadership group is a program of the Central Delaware Chamber of Commerce, offering insights into various fields, efforts and events in the area.

Delaware State News Managing Editor Andrew West, a 2009 alumnus of the program, has chaired the Communications Day program for the past 10 years. The program allows the business leaders in the group to gain a better understanding of the media serving the Greater Dover area.

The group’s visit to the Delaware State News included a breakfast meet-and-greet hosted by the Delaware State News’ Heather Cregar, a conversation with Publisher Ed Dulin, a reporting exercise that included reporters Jen Rini and Craig Anderson playing the roles of news sources and much more.

The group went on a tour of Delaware Printing Company with guides Ray Ford, Production Manager of Delaware Printing Company, and Dave Rehkamp, Press Room Manager.

In the afternoon, the group had lunch and discussions about today’s media at Roma’s restaurant. Delaware State News News Editor Ashley Dawson was one of five panelists. Also participating were Teresa Connor, former public affairs officer for the port mortuary at Dover Air Force Base, Dover Post Editor Emeritus Jim Flood Sr., Dover Post Publisher Clarissa Williams and WBOC Dover bureau chief Michael Chesney.

In the current leadership class are Jason E. Anderson, Dover Motorsports; Robb H. Carter, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage; Lisa S. Chase, Given Chase Consulting, LLC; Michael P. Clevens, Chesapeake Utilities Corporation; Mikkia L. Cordle, Delaware State University; Justin A. Cresler, Kraft Foods; Gorneatta Dale, Harrington Raceway & Casino; William D. Dilling, Bayhealth Medical Center; Patricia G. Fuller, Bayhealth Medical Center; Richard W. Hartnett, M&T Bank; Mary L. Jackson, Kent County Women’s Journal; Jay. P Jones, Diamond State Financial Group; Karen L. Kaufman, The Kritter Sitter, LLC; Christina M. Lessard, Lessard Builders; Stephen W. Miller, Stick It! Gymnastics, LLC; Matthew M. Orlowsky, Dover Air Force Base; Jennifer T. Rohne Procter & Gamble; Victor Santos, Delaware State University; William A. Schaefer, New Penn Financial; Justin T. Stickland, L&W Insurance Agency; June S. Turansky, Delaware Technical Community College; Kathy VanBrunt, Dover Downs Hotel & Casino; Liesbeth L. Watson, Dover Air Force Base; and Sherry T. Wilkins, Sherry T. Wilkins Hypnotherapy.

 

Lori Kircher and Sheila Clendaniel Honored for 60 Years of Service Combined

Lori Kircher celebrates her 35th anniversary with INI this month while Sheila Clendaniel celebrates her 25th anniversary.  Both have seen many changes as our industry has evolved and served in many different departments over the years.  They were surprised by gifts and well wishes at the Corporate Team Meeting on Wednesday, April 10.

Lori Kircher

Sheila Clendaniel

Steve Steinke to Retire April 12

 

 

 

Valley Newspapers will bid farewell to Steve Steinke April 12 as Steve has announced his plans to retire after 15 years with the company, nearly all of that spent as the print facility's general manager.

Valley employees will host a special celebration for Steve 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, April 10. All employees as well as printing customers are invited to enjoy cake and light refreshments and to wish Steve good luck in his future adventures -- which are expected to involve lots of travel, time with family, writing and weather watching.

Steve joined the company in 1997 as general manager. As GM, Steve helped plan and oversee construction of the current print facility and played a key role in Valley's continued growth and expansion over the past decade.

Today Valley Newspapers is one of the top newspaper printing facilities in the Southwest and is well known for its quality and capacity. The facility prints over 80 clients, including Independent's 12 weekly and monthly publications, as well as Wall Street Journal, Arizona Business Journal, Barron's and more.

Steve announced his intention to retire in 2012 and turned over day-to-day operation of Valley Newspapers to Mike Jacobs and Rob Giarraputo. Relinquishing the title of GM, Steve took on the role of Development Director for Valley and continued assisting with expansion projects and customer service.

We thank Steve for his commitment and efforts over the years, and all his fellow employees and friends wish him good luck and good health as he enjoys new challenges!

 

Arizona.Newszap.com Fan Base Stretches Beyond Traditional Circulation Borders

The West Valley staff has been blogging on Arizona.Newszap.com for some time now, but as our unique visitors rise so does our fan base.

Although our blogging subjects are diverse, News Services Editor Jeremy Carr focuses his entries on film history. His fan base tends to be movie lovers, including a new reader who lives outside our Surprise Independent circulation coverage area.

Marley Park teacher Christopher Raso wrote, “I enjoyed your article regarding the classic Orson Welles film, The Magnificent Ambersons. Film history is a hobby of mine and I enjoyed your summary and perspectives a great deal.”

His “article” was only posted online. He also had another blog about Pandora’s Box that was retweeted by the Louise Brooks Society in late March. A public relations employee at Sun Health asked him today if he handles People in the News as well as film. He is making quite a name for himself through our digital efforts. His reviews have not been printed in our newspapers.

Arizona’s recent Google analytic report of more than 17,700 unique visitors monthly proves the editorial team has a new audience with diversified demographics. In fact, we have a bigger circulation online than we do with most of our printed products with the exception of our largest circulated newspapers – Mesa, Sun City, Surprise and Apache Junction. I imagine in six months from now, we’ll easily have more than 25,000 unique visitors a month.

I also had a surprising e-mail late Friday, when the Avondale Writer’s Conference invited me to be a guest speaker at a future date. They discovered me when reading my blog on Arizona.newszap.com. Avondale is about 15 minutes south of Surprise. We do not have a printed product in Avondale’s boundaries.

Pretty neat stuff!