InMaricopa turns 10, publisher tells story

What sparked you to start InMaricopa?

Opportunity. I left a secure paycheck in 2000 to start my own business, Outside the Box Marketing. Later, I was introduced to Maricopa by my dad, who was involved in the development of Southern Dunes Golf Club. There were crazy growth projections for Maricopa, and I wanted to open a new business and take advantage of the anticipated boom.

I was working on a business plan for Gold Medal Storage, a self-storage company, but got “beat to the punch” when another storage company broke ground. I was close to opening Roadrunner Rentals, a tool and equipment rental startup, when it dawned on me how unhandy I am. So, I turned my focus to the media: I had experience in advertising and sponsorship sales, enjoyed writing and there were one or two monthly newspapers in the market at the time; I knew we could compete from Day 1.

We launched 85239.com in March 2004 and with it effectively a daily newspaper, which was unheard of for a community so small. With the addition that summer of Joyce Hollis, our first reporter, we quickly rendered the printed newspapers “old news” by the time they were published.

In 2006, we created a complementary print product, 85239 The Magazine (now InMaricopa The Magazine), and three years later our print newspaper, InMaricopa News, was born. Both publications are mailed to every home and business in Maricopa and the surrounding areas.

What unexpected challenges have you faced running this company?

In the early years, the stereotypical small-town politics surprised me. I had spent the previous 10 years working in Phoenix and naively thought “business was business.”

Also, we share the city’s plight in getting people to “shop local.” We have been Maricopa-owned and Maricopa-operated since 2004 and are the only local media/advertising company in town. We need to do a better job of promoting that.

What do you enjoy the most about your job?

I enjoy solving problems, contributing to our clients’ success and the people involved in our company.

I’m very competitive by nature and driven to succeed in the “game” of business. Creating and managing the perfect business is like playing the perfect basketball game; it’s impossible to achieve — mistakes are inevitable — but we go to work every day trying.

The greatest satisfaction comes from helping our advertisers achieve their goals and dreams. It’s very rewarding to see InMaricopa contribute to other small-business owners’ and operators’ growth.

I’m fortunate to work with some great people. We have a team of fun, talented, hard-working professionals, and getting to know our clients, readers and community leaders has been a highlight of doing business in Maricopa.

What role has InMaricopa played in the development of the city?

InMaricopa’s collective role is defined by the impacts we’ve had on individual people, families and businesses. During the “hockey stick” growth period in the city’s early years, our website was the place where countless neighbors met and friendships were born. But whether it’s being a resource for an investor considering Maricopa, recruiting customers for an existing business owner, helping a resident find a job, matching a lost dog with its owner or inspiring a neighbor to become engaged in the community, we’re proud of whatever role we play.

What journalistic accomplishments are you most proud of?

We established journalistic integrity as our No. 1 priority from the onset, and we’ve never wavered from it. We could have made a lot more money through the years by compromising our news coverage to accommodate advertisers, but we stuck to our principles believing a positive reputation among our readers would ensue, which would translate into greater readership and, ultimately, better results for our advertisers.

Similarly, we take great pride in the quality of our products. There are many “corners” we could cut to save money, most of which I don’t think the vast majority of our readers would notice, but many people have worked very hard over the last decade to produce high quality news, photography, design, printing, etc., and we will continue on that path.

Only a fraction of businesses are still operating 10 years after starting. To what do you attribute your success?

Obviously, we wouldn’t be here without our advertisers supporting us, and without our readers supporting our advertisers. Nor could we have done it without a great team of people – past and present. Joyce Hollis, our first reporter and editor, was instrumental in integrating us into the community. Carolyn Struble managed operations for eight years; her talents were a perfect fit for such a small organization, in which everyone had to wear many “hats,” and her loyalty helped us successfully navigate some difficult times. Michelle Winegard invested almost four years working with our clients and showcased an amazing ability to help people and brighten the day of everyone with whom she came in contact, especially her coworkers.

Kathy Debevec is in her eighth year taking great care of our classified advertisers and effectively serving as our “team mother.” Dick Barkley has been doing whatever he can to contribute to our success for as long as I can remember.

The all-stars in editorial, Christia Gibbons (editor) and Kyle Daly (reporter), and our newest team members, Angelina Havermhal (client loyalty coordinator), Kim Myers (operations administrator) and Kathleen Stinson (reporter), will continue to guide us into the next decade of service to the Maricopa community.

It takes a lot more than technical skills, however, to take a company from conception to its 10-year anniversary. The emotional support I’ve received from my family along the way has proven invaluable.

Why did you decide to volunteer on the Maricopa school board?

Maricopa was never going to achieve its potential if we didn’t have good schools, and our schools weren’t going to improve without new leadership. So, I decided to “put up” instead of shut up and do what I could to improve our schools, which would, obviously, help our kids, and ultimately help the local businesses, lower taxes for Maricopans and aid the city’s economic development efforts. In the process, I hope we can enhance the reputation of the governing board, which could have a greater impact on our community than any other local elected office, and have better candidates from which to choose with each election.

Why did you decide to run for the Legislature?

To bring sensible, responsible, conservative leadership to the Legislature. The people of Maricopa and District 11 deserve representation that will focus on the needs of our communities – like jobs and education — and put the needs of their constituents above themselves.

How have you dealt with trying to keep your political career separate from running the city’s No. 1 news source?

It’s not difficult when integrity is your No. 1 core value. Our editor handles all things editorially, and there is no one on the planet more contentious about ensuring fair, balanced and objective news coverage than our editorial staff.

What do you see for the future of this company?

Maricopa is going to continue to grow. InMaricopa is well-positioned to do the same. We are working every day to find ways to provide more value to our readers and advertisers and are confident the market will respond in kind.