Promotions signal growth for SBJ Publishing Inc.

Springfield Business Journal launched a sister publication, Joplin Tri-State Business, in April 2006. That newspaper turned a profit in its first year, and its success has emboldened company executives to aggressively pursue additional growth opportunities.

Their efforts were realized in January when SBJ Publishing Inc. was established as an umbrella company for Springfield Business Journal LLC and Joplin Tri-State Business LLC, and Jennifer Jackson was hired as the 27-year-old company’s first chief operations officer.

Now, two internal promotions signal the next step.

Mike Noggle was promoted to the new position of SBJ Publishing’s director of business development, after having served five years as SBJ’s director of advertising and marketing. Noggle will maintain his role as general manager of JTB, and SBJ is seeking a successor for Noggle.

Dee Dee Nilsen was promoted to the new position of SBJ’s online editor, after having served nearly two years as online reporter. Nilsen is responsible for maintaining sbj.net, the top business journal Web site in 2006 among members of The Alliance of Area Business Publications.

Areas targeted for growth include sbj.net, special events and publications, contract publishing and adding publications in other cities.

Publisher and founder Dianne Elizabeth Osis said she used to shun growth – but not anymore.

“I would continually say, ‘Oh, we have all we can do with Springfield Business Journal,’ when people would ask me, ‘Why don’t you franchise, why don’t you start this somewhere else?’” Osis said. “But when leaders in the Joplin community asked us to come there because they knew our work in Springfield, we explored it, we asked for their commitment and we’re gratified with the response that we’ve had there. We saw what that could do for our organization.”

Growth opportunities

One of Jackson’s duties is to oversee growth, and she said Noggle’s promotion would ensure she has growth to oversee.

“Mike is invaluable to this organization as a developer,” Jackson said.

Noggle already had informally assumed the role of business developer when he spearheaded the launch of JTB. The promotion makes his development role formal and allows him to focus his energy on that.

He’ll fully assume his new role once an advertising and marketing director is hired, likely by the end of May, according to Osis.

“I’m a creative individual,” Noggle said. “I like being able to make things happen, because when you make things happen it creates opportunities for other individuals.”

He said his first project would be growing sbj.net, though he wouldn’t disclose specific initiatives.

A Web task force has begun meeting to establish priorities.

“Some of the things that we’re going to do will make us a leader,” said Noggle, noting that many SBJ readers, especially younger SBJ readers, are using the Web site on an increasingly frequent basis.

Since the beginning of the year, sbj.net page views are up 43 percent and registered users are up 18 percent. Meanwhile, 80 percent of SBJ readers are still not registered users, according to a 2006 readership survey.

The Web site relaunched in September 2005 and was designed by Arkansas-based Flex360.

It features Daily Update e-news, an archive of 21,000 stories and newly implemented e-commerce offerings.

“The site’s been a big investment for us, and it’s time to start recouping some of that cost,” said Editor Eric Olson. “We’ve done a decent job in that so far, but the potential is much greater.”

The Internet isn’t the only arena for growth. Jackson said plans include establishing a stand-alone special events and products department at SBJ, possibly by year’s end, with Noggle working to develop added events and publications.

Noggle also will explore expansion opportunities in other cities. He said SBJ Publishing has four unnamed Midwestern cities on its radar, and a new publication could launch as early as late 2008.

Eye on Joplin

JTB is slated for its fair share of growth, too. While SBJ already has six special events and publications, JTB is about to launch its first event with 10 Most Influential Women in October.

JTB also has experienced a personnel change.

Michelle Lester, advertising account executive and the first employee hired for the publication, has left JTB to work as a consultant with Professional Merchant Services.

“The community has been very accepting of this publication, which has made my job easier,” Lester said.

“I know the paper will continue to thrive, and I look forward to sitting back and watching it happen.”

Teresa Divine replaced Lester on April 24. Divine is a lifelong Joplin resident, working in media sales since 1994 for such companies as The Joplin Globe, KODE-TV and the Zimmer Radio Group.