SBJ Publishing sells Joplin journal

SBJ Publishing Inc. closed May 1 on the sale of Joplin Tri-State Business Journal to Larry and Mikell Warren, owners of Atlas Risk Management LLC in Joplin, for an undisclosed amount.

“We looked at it strictly as a business investment, not only for ourselves, but for the community,” said Larry Warren, who is also chairman of the board for the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce. “Being a small-business owner, we see a lot of value in knowing what industries are growing and what other business owners are doing.

“We see what Joplin Tri-State Business Journal has done for our own business.”

JTBJ was founded in 2006 by Springfield-based SBJ Publishing Inc., which has owned and operated Springfield Business Journal since its inception in 1980.  

We have believed for some time that Joplin Tri-State Business Journal would grow even more with a local or regional publisher in place,” SBJ Publishing President and Chairwoman Dianne Elizabeth Osis said. “When a prominent local businessman – and incoming chairman of the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce – came forward with his interest, we thought this would be ideal.”

The purchase includes equipment, advertising contracts and a lease in the Joplin’s Newman Business and Technology Innovation Center. JTBJ Editor Carole Liston and reporter David Mink have been retained.

SBJ Publishing Publisher Jennifer Jackson said although she feels JTBJ has been successful in its mission, the SBJ team has faced specific challenges in managing the publication from Springfield.

“Joplin Tri-State Business Journal in seven short years is a decade ahead of where Springfield Business Journal was in the same time in its lifespan,” Jackson said. “But it’s a mistake to believe that all things are equal.

“Joplin is a unique community, and it really deserves and needs someone that truly knows the community and knows its business players. By definition, that’s what a business journal is.”

JTBJ delivers print and digital editions and has a subscription rate of more than 900. It also publishes an email update three times a week, with a subscription rate of more than 2,100.

JTBJ was established in January 2006 and printed its first issue on April 10 of that year. Jackson said the paper was born out of discussions with local business and economic development officials – including Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce director Rob O’Brian, Keller Williams Realtor Doris Carlin and former Empire District Electric Co. CEO Bill Gipson.

“(They) asked us to come because they saw not having a business journal as a barrier to economic development,” Jackson said. “They felt like Joplin needed a channel to tell the story of the local business environment and connect local businesspeople.”

During the years, the JTBJ and SBJ team established several channels for telling the stories of the business community, including events such as Best Places to Work, Dynamic Dozen, Salute to Health Care and Most Influential Women.

After weeks of negotiating the sale, Jackson said Warren’s business acumen and connections were keys in accepting his offer.

“Joplin Tri-State Business Journal needs to remain,” she said. “In making this decision, we had to find not just a new owner but the right person and the right leader.

“We have a great deal of faith in (Warren’s) ability to see things through and be successful. He has already proven success in his own business endeavors. … It’s a nice place to be when you come to the decision to sell a business and find who you think is absolutely the right person to carry on.”

While Warren plans to implement changes in both JTBJ’s print and online products and to review the company’s business model, he said the new owners are being careful not to overstep themselves.

“That can be a problem, when new owners come in and think they need to make big changes in the first few weeks,” he said. “We anticipate making gradual changes during the next six months.”

Warren said anticipated changes include a rebranding of JTBJ’s logo and flag, an expansion of its coverage area into the communities within the Joplin Regional Prosperity Initiative, and a redesigned and increased news focus on JoplinTriState.biz.

He also plans to hire a salesperson. As part of the sale, the SBJ management team has committed to working through a one-month transitional period.