When the news hit May 1 that SBJ Publishing Inc. sold Joplin Tri-State Business Journal, the story quickly rose to the top spot on our SBJ.net most popular stories list. However, out on the street, mum’s been the word.
It wasn’t until a week later, when I found myself sitting next to a friend that I’ve known for some time, that I began to understand the silence. My friend leaned over at the meeting we were both attending and whispered, “So, this Joplin thing. Is this a good thing or a bad thing?”
This most definitely is a good thing. It is a very good thing for both Springfield Business Journal and Joplin Tri-State Business Journal. I believe it is also a very good thing for our respective markets. I won’t deny that closing day was bittersweet for my mother and me, and likely for our whole staff. We have poured a tremendous amount of time, energy and money into JTBJ during the last seven years. We became invested in the Joplin community in every way. We developed some lifelong friendships, and we are incredibly proud of all that we accomplished there.
For those of you who don’t know the history, nearly eight years ago a group of prominent Joplin businesspeople, along with the executive director of the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce, approached my mother (then publisher of SBJ) and asked if she would consider replicating SBJ in the Joplin market.
The group said they needed a business journal like the one in Springfield to connect the local business community, depict the regional business landscape and, ultimately, spur economic development. Joplin chose us, and we delivered. JTBJ is now a semimonthly publication with more than 900 paid subscribers and readership exceeding 10,000 in print and online.
2013 was just the right time for the next chapter to be written. When JTBJ was quietly offered for sale, much to our delight, there was interest from more than one party. This time, it was our turn to choose, and we chose Larry and Mikell Warren. The Warrens already are successful small-business owners in the Joplin market, and they had become trusted friends during the time we spent in Joplin sharing office space in the Joseph Newman Business and Technology Innovation Center.
My mother, SBJ founder Dianne Elizabeth Osis, made the observation on more than one occasion that Joplin is an extremely tight-knit community and only became more so following the 2011 tornado. It was clear to us that JTBJ would need a Joplin insider to truly soar to the next level. Likewise, our Joplin staff deserved a more constant and present source of leadership and support. Furthermore, our Springfield management team, myself included, needed a break from the 80-mile, four-lane trek to Joplin. We also needed the opportunity to refocus on our core here in Springfield and the surrounding area.
We have challenged the Springfield staff to estimate the time they previously spent each week working on JTBJ. What could they do with that time to deliver even more to the loyal readers and advertisers of our products, as well as to the honorees and attendees of SBJ events? I can’t wait to see the results.
Meanwhile, our cooperative relationship with the proud new publishers of JTBJ will allow us to continue to collaborate on projects of mutual interest, such as the Southwest Missouri Giving Guide. Springfield account executives are still at liberty to assist their clients with advertising placements in both publications, and the editorial staff members of each publication will continue to share news and information with relevance across both markets.
The recent sale of JTBJ is one of those deals where everyone walks away a winner. It’s OK to talk about, even celebrate. We certainly are.
Jennifer Jackson, publisher of SBJ Publishing Inc., can be reached at jjackson@sbj.net.[[In-content Ad]]
