Thirty-five years ago, I never could have imagined that the little publication we started in 1991 would become what it is today. I remember those early days clearly. We were a small, newsprint TV booklet, struggling to get noticed, hoping that people would pick it up at their local supermarket. There was nothing complicated in its format. Nothing more than TV listings and ads. A simple idea, backed by an enormous amount of enthusiasm and determination.
When I look back, what gives me the greatest sense of pride isn’t that we have been in business for 35 years. It’s that we were bold enough to evolve and innovate. The little newsprint TV book with a 7,000-circulation distributed in supermarkets became a premium, glossy print media delivered directly to 80,000 homes and businesses through the US Postal Service. This transformation was far more than the paper itself. We understood from our humble beginnings that our true value was putting our printed magazine into the hands of a human being and gave them a reason to open it.
We replaced TV listings with editorial content that informed, inspired and created curiosity. We began telling the stories behind local businesses, introducing our readers to restaurants, destinations, personalities, and experiences they may not have otherwise discovered. Our editorial content became the heartbeat of our company and that, to me, is where our distinction lies.
We don’t believe that a print media should simply sell advertising. It should earn a place in people’s homes. When someone opens our pages, we want them to discover something about local business, to visit a restaurant that they haven’t considered before. The goal has always been to create more value for our readers, which would in turn encourage consumers to patronize the small businesses in the communities that we serve.
I have had the privilege of watching entrepreneurs build their businesses from the ground up. I’ve seen the sacrifices they made, the risks they took, and the pride they have in serving their communities. These aren’t simply businesses. They are restaurants where families celebrate special occasions. Local retailers where customers become friends. Professional practices that serve generations of families. Entrepreneurs who invest their time, energy, and resources into creating something they believe will make their community better.
Local businesses are at the heart of our communities. When a local business succeeds, the impact reaches far beyond that business. It creates jobs and keeps money closer to home, giving its community character and vitality. That’s why I am so proud of the role ET Media has played for 35 years. Helping local businesses connect with the people who live, work, shop, dine, and spend their lives in these communities.
Though the way we connect people with their communities has changed dramatically, the mission has not. The free newsprint booklet became a wide format glossy magazine. The supermarket pickup began arriving in people’s mail boxes. TV listings evolved into advice columns and compelling storytelling. ET Media has become a community platform connecting readers with the businesses and experiences around them.
Along the way, we have embraced new technology and digital opportunities, but we have never lost sight of something we continue to believe in very much. The power about being physically present in someone’s home. In a world where people are constantly scrolling, swiping, and moving on to the next thing, a beautifully produced magazine still commands attention. When combined with great advice columns and storytelling, we have created something that is increasingly difficult to find in today’s digital media and other printed magazines.
Over our years we faced many challenges too. A weakened economy at the onset of our start in the early 90’s, 9/11 that challenged our freedom as Americans, the stock market crash of 2008 that brought our country to its knees, Hurricane Sandy and the infamous Covid 19 global catastrophe. All of these events tested the hearts of small businesses, yet here we are still standing. Those were tough years that forced us to rethink how we operated. There were moments when we had to make difficult decisions and take risks without knowing exactly where they would lead.
But we kept going because we believed in something bigger than ourselves. We listened, adapted, invested, and evolved. The greatest lesson I’ve learned over our history; “To remain relevant, evolution is essential.” To have the courage to change without losing sight of who you are. Today, when I look at ET Media, I see something quite different from the little newsprint publication we started in 1991, but I also see the same fundamental idea.
Our vision of connecting people with their community has not changed. Only now, we do it in a far more powerful way, all designed around one enduring purpose: to help local businesses get discovered, remembered, and supported by the communities they serve. I don’t measure our success simply by the number of magazines we’ve published or the number of homes we’ve reached, but by the number of relationships we created, the advertisers that have grown to trust us and the businesses that we have learned so much from.
For the stories we’ve been privileged to tell and the countless connections we’ve helped create between a local business and a customer who might never have found one another provides me with the highest level of accomplishment. This is our legacy, that we have continued to adapt and believe in the value of local business thriving in their community.
As I celebrate this milestone anniversary, allow me to express with gratitude to the customers who believed in us, to the readers who opened our pages, to the people and businesses who trusted us to tell their stories, to the partners who helped us along the way and to the incredible people who have been part of our team throughout this journey. Thirty-Five years of relationships, challenges overcome, reengineering our brand and believing in an idea that started with a small newsprint booklet that grew far greater than I could have dreamed.
I am incredibly proud and privileged to be standing beside the hundreds of local businesses that have become my friend. One thing the last 35 years has taught me is the world will continue to change and so will we. Our commitment to local businesses, our communities, and the connections that bring them together will remain at the heart of everything we do.
Thank you for being part of this incredible journey. God Bless.
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