WICK COMMUNICATIONS - Key Persons
Alessia Alaimo, Digital Media Manager, has been with Wick Communications since March of 2013 and is currently supervising the newspaper organization's digital, mobile and social media initiatives for all of Wick's publications nationwide in Tucson, Arizona. She is responsible for producing, maintaining, enhancing various websites/apps including UX design and audience development. She supports all of Wick Communications' digital media products through data analysis, web development, graphic design, internal staff training, communication, and presentations including Wick's online forum project, NABUR.
Prior to Wick, she was a creative director for a large-format print and advertising company for seven years. While serving as director, she widened her graphical expertise, incorporating strong analytic and creative skills in marketing and advertising in both print and digital.
Alaimo is a native Italian from Palermo, Sicily. She graduated from the Southwest University of Visual Arts earning a Bachelor's Degree in Visual Communications and Graphic Design. She holds design awards from the American Advertising Federation (AAF) and received first place in AAF's regional marketing campaign competition.
Job Titles:
- Director
- General Manager Position at Reno Buick GMC Cadillac
Arne L. Hoel invested the first 25-years of his career working for two large CPA firms and then a privately held media company. In 2009 he became self-employed developing a business turn-around strategy partnering in the acquisition of a variety of businesses and is now the Managing Member/Member of a number of ventures including:
Arne assumed the General Manager position at Reno Buick GMC Cadillac when the business was purchased in 2010. Upon completion of the turnaround strategy, he hired a General Manager. In August of 2014, Arne again assumed the position of General Manager at the Dealership to focus on growth and is currently grooming his successor.
Job Titles:
- Publisher of Eastern Arizona Courier, Copper Era
Belinda Mills, a publishing veteran who has worked at newspapers across the Southwest, has been named publisher of the Eastern Arizona Courier and Copper Era. "With a wonderful track record of successful publishing and serving [...]
Job Titles:
- Central Design Operations Manager
Charles West joi ned Wick Communications in 2016. He oversees the production of all print and online advertising for the various newspapers.
Prior to joining to central design, West was the advertising creative supervisor at The Arizona Daily Star for nine years. He was a graphic designer at Tucson Newspapers, Inc. for seven years.
West is a Hoosier who has been in Tucson, Ariz., since 2000. He holds a bachelor's deg ree in visual communications and design from Purdue University. He is an avid runner and enjoys reading.
West is married to Melissa and has a stepson named Nathan. He is based in the Tucson offices of Wick Central Design.
Job Titles:
- Editorial Director
- Communications
Dan Shearer is Editorial Director for Wick Communications. He comes alongside editors at Wick's nearly 30 newspapers to strengthen newsrooms through strong content, sharing best practices, reviewing and developing strategies, and keeping on top of industry changes. The goal is stronger community newspapers and stronger communities. Dan also is editor of the Green Valley News and Sahuarita Sun in Arizona.
He is a graduate of the University of Arizona, has taught journalism on the college level and has been a presenter at the Arizona Newspapers Association convention and at several other venues. He has 10 years' experience in copy editing and page design, won a McCormick Foundation symposium fellowship in Chicago, and attended a fellowship at Stanford University. But he believes the best training is sitting in the editor's chair at a community newspaper.
His first newsroom job was as a summer intern at the Abilene Reporter-News in Texas. After college, he was hired as a reporter/copy editor at the Palm Springs Desert Sun in California. He then went to work for The Arizona Republic, where he was a senior editor before coming to Green Valley.
Dan was born in Germany into a military family with roots in Minnesota. He moved to Arizona at age 8, and grew up in Mesa. He and his wife, Carol, have three children.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Board Member and Director of Craft Brew Alliance
David Lord served as president and CEO of Pioneer Newspapers from 1991 through 2009 and remains a director of the company.
He has served as a board member and director of the Associated Press, is chairman and past president of PAGE, a media cooperative, was chairman and past president of the Inland Press Association and was a board member and director of the Newspaper Association of America.
Lord also serves as a board member and director of Craft Brew Alliance, a publicly traded craft brewery, where he is chairman of the compensation committee and a member of the audit committee.
Job Titles:
- Director of Administrative Services
- Director of Human Resources
Deborah Marple not only leads administrative services, she plays a key role in human resources, managing the payroll and benefits functions of Wick Communications. Marple is involved in budget presentations and key executive discussions across virtually every discipline within the company.
A nat ive of Cincinnati, Ohio, Marple joined the company in May, 1988, in the classified department at The Sierra Vista Herald in Sierra Vista, Ariz. In October of the same year, she moved into the business office in accounts receivable. Marple was then was promoted to business manager in 1996.
Marple transferred to the corporate office in 1998 as an accountant and assistant to the human resources manager. She attended Cochise College in Sierra Vista, receiving Unix system administrator certification and coursework in computer networking and technology.
Job Titles:
- Communications
- Group Publisher
Dennis Anderson is the publisher of The Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman in Wasilla, Alaska, and oversees all Wick operations in Alaska.
Anderson began his work for Wick Communications as an advertising representative in Montrose, Colo., in August 2004. He was promoted to advertising director before being named publisher of The Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman. Prior to joining Wick, Anderson worked in the retail industry, including 16 years in store management.
He has a long history of involvement in his community, including acting as president of the local Cal Ripken Baseball League while in Colorado. He served three years in the U.S. Army, including a stint in Germany.
He and his wife, Melissa, have three children, Jonathon, Matthew and Victoria plus two grandchildren, Landon and Joey. He enjoys fishing and gardening.
Job Titles:
- Director of Information Technology
Judd is a native of Detroit, Mich., and has worked as a network engineer at various companies for the last 22 years, using a variety of Unix- and Windows-based systems. Judd also worked as a freelance web designer from 1993-1998.
Dru Sanchez is a group publisher for Wick Communications. Sanchez joined Wick in July 2017 where she is the publisher of Green Valley News/Sahuarita Sun. As a group publisher of Wick Communications, Sanchez oversees Wick newspaper in Safford, AZ.
She was previously digital sales manager and classified ad director at the Arizona Daily Star. She worked for 21 years at The Los Angeles Times, where she held several positions including recruitment sales manager and advertising operations manager.
Sanchez said she enjoys Arizona's weather, hiking, unique restaurants and traveling. She has two children and four grandchildren.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Member of the Board
- President
- CEO of Wick Communications, Sai
- President & CEO Board Member
Francis Wick, CEO of Wick Communications, said the company "is honored to have someone of Jack's background and success consider a small family media organization that is committed to seeing professional journalism prevail during a very disruptive time in funding local journalism."
Francis Wick is the President and CEO of Wick Communications and Board member since 2007.
He is the youngest member of the third generation ownership of Wick Communications, a family-owned media company which has newspapers from North Carolina to Alaska and from Louisiana to North Dakota.
Prior to the Herald/Review Wick was the publisher of the Montrose Daily Press in Colorado.
Born in Sierra Vista, he is a 1999 graduate of Buena High School.
He has a bachelor's degree in political science and a master's in business administration from the University of Arizona.
Wick, in his early 30s, has held numerous positions at other Wick Communications newspapers learning various aspects of the trade.
He and his wife Amanda have two children, twins Sebastian and Savannah.
He currently serves as a co-chair of the Inland Family Owners committee and has been a member of the Wick board of directors since 2007. His interest includes spending time with family, golfing, cheering on the Arizona Wildcats, and serving up tasty dishes in the kitchen.
Ken Harty is group publisher for Wick Communications. A second-generation newspaperman, Harty joined Wick in October 1992 where he worked in several departments of the Daily News in Wahpeton, N.D./Breckenridge, Minnesota. In 2002 he began serving as assistant advertising manager at the Daily Iberian in New Iberia, La. and in 2006 was the advertising manager of the Daily Herald in Roanoke Rapids, N.C. In 2007 he returned to be publisher of his hometown newspaper in the Wahpeton/Breckenridge area.
Harty has been very active in the Wahpeton/Breckenridge communities, serving on the Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors (past president), United Way of Richland/Wilkin (past president), Kiwanis of Wahpeton/Breckenridge (past president), North Dakota State College of Science Alumni Foundation Board of Directors, and the Wahpeton Convention and Visitors Bureau (past vice president).
As a group publisher of Wick Communications, Harty oversees Wick newspaper operations in North Dakota, South Dakota, Oregon and Montana. Ken resides in Williston, N.D., with his wife Esmeralda. They have two grown children, Jennifer and Jolene, three grandchildren, Caleb, Levi and Sophia. He enjoys fishing and spending time with his family.
Job Titles:
- Business Office Accountant
John P. Romney is the Chairman of the Board for Wick Communications, a family-owned media company. He joined the board in 2017 and was elected Chairman in 2020.
John is the Director of Originations for RF Investment Partners ("RF"). Based in the Dallas area, John is responsible for coordinating and leading the originations efforts for RF. In addition, he is involved with the evaluation of new investment opportunities; leading due diligence and negotiating and structuring new investments.
Prior to RF, John spent 16 years with Levine Leichtman Capital Partners ("LLCP"), a Los Angeles-based private equity firm focused on control and structured equity investments in middle-market companies. At LLCP, he served as a Managing Director with responsibilities for origination of new investment opportunities, as well as helping to establish new territories and offices in Chicago, New York, London and Charlotte.
Before joining LLCP, John held positions in investment banking with HFBE (now Stout) and Ernst & Young Corporate Finance; subordinated debt and equity co-investing with Signal Capital and First Texas Merchant Banking Group; and commercial lending at MBank (now JP Morgan Chase).
John has worked in the financial industry since 1981 and has 19 years of principal investment experience within the lower middle-markets. He has 40 years of experience in working with various size companies on their financing needs and capital structure requirements. John has previous experience in private equity, commercial banking, merchant banking, investment banking, and mergers and acquisition advisory services.
John's industry experience includes manufacturing, steel, energy, petrochemical, distribution, hospitality, franchising, retail, and service companies. He has experience in servicing both private and public companies. John also has extensive experience in the investment and placement of senior and subordinated debt, commercial lending, mezzanine and equity investments, mergers and acquisition advisory services, and investment banking services.
John earned a BS in Business Management from Brigham Young University, Marriott School of Management, and an MBA, with a concentration in Finance, from Arizona State University, W.P. Carey School of Business. When not working, he is either running; serving in the community or church; or focused on his family and grandchildren.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Managing Director at Thiel Capital
- Trustee and Member of the Investment Committee for Hamilton College
John R. "Jack" Selby has joined the Board of Directors for Wick Communications, the parent company of the Sierra Vista Herald/Review.
Selby is managing director at Thiel Capital in Los Angeles, and was an original employee with PayPal, where he eventually became a corporate officer/senior vice president overseeing the company's international and corporate operations.
Selby is involved with several companies, including SpaceX, Palantir, Affirm, Blend, Bird and Openspace, as a technology investor and adviser. He also is an independent film producer.
"I will be in full-immersion listening mode as I come on board because this is a different world, but I'm also very intellectually curious about this world," he said.
Selby said technology has been "both blessing and a curse when it comes to this industry," and hopes to leverage his expertise to help put it on solid footing.
Selby was an editor at the student newspaper, The Spectator, at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, where he earned a bachelor's degree in economics. He said that's where he developed an appreciation of the crucial role of the media, particularly local journalism, which he called "exceptionally important."
Selby serves as a Charter Trustee and member of the Investment Committee for Hamilton College's endowment; is involved with the Navy SEALS Foundation; a member of the Board of Directors at the Arizona Commerce Authority; and is co-host and founder of the Arizona Technology Innovation Summit.
Job Titles:
- Audience and Development Director
Kenneth Bohl moved from Bismarck, N.D. to warmer climate and exciting challenges in Sierra Vista as the audience development director for Wick Communications.
He has been involved with the circulation side of the newspaper industry since 1986, managing multiple circulation departments in various states and cities, including Bismarck, Ukiah and Vallejo, Calif., as well as Flagstaff.
Bohl's 32-year trajectory has given him "the experience to analyze problem areas and resolve them quickly and effectively. Customer satisfaction is a top priority that I take very seriously," he said.
His management style is hands-on. "I don't spend all my time sitting behind a desk. I go out and take a look, evaluate and understand what is happening so that I know what I am talking about. I do delegate, but then I follow up and make sure that things get done," he said.
And true to his word, the second night on the job Bohl had to throw a down route with Jeff Scott, whom he will be replacing.
One of the "biggest opportunities" is to more effectively market Wick newspapers, both digitally and in print by showcasing the wide array of products each offers, such as magazines and special sections, Ken said. The message should be, "Hey, there's a lot to our newspapers that you are missing if you are not a subscriber," he added.
Bohl and his wife, Alicia have three daughters, RaVae, Shelby and MacKenzie.
Job Titles:
- Communications
- Director of Legislative Affairs
Coppola has spent most of his career with Wick Communications since joining the Nogales International, his hometown newspaper, in 1985 where he later became the managing editor and publisher.
After a short stint as publisher of the Sierra Vista Herald, in September 2017, he was named Director of Legislative Affairs for Wick Communications as well as publisher of the Nogales International and the Tucson Daily Territorial.
Coppola's corporate role is to track legislation unfavorable to the newspaper industry and the First Amendment in general in any of the Wick markets. He is serving a second term as president of the Arizona Newspapers Association and for more than a decade, has been actively involved on behalf of Wick Communications in battling bills at the Arizona State Legislature that threaten to hinder publication of public/legal notices in newspapers.
He is a member of the Sierra Vista Rotary Club and served many years as board member of the Santa Cruz Training Programs for people with disabilities, an organization his mother founded in 1968. During his off hours, he has volunteered at the Casa Maria Soup Kitchen on Tucson's south side; is an avid "bell ringer" for the Salvation Army; and serves as a translator for the Flying Samaritans during missions to Baja California, Mexico.
His oldest son is a graduate of Coppola's alma mater, Northern Arizona University, and works in logistics; he has a son who is at the University of Arizona majoring in education and political science, and his youngest son is at Pima College in general studies.
Mike started working for Wick in 2018 when the company bought The Wenatchee World in Wenatchee, Washington, where he worked as a photojournalist for over 30 years. While in that role he also worked as a systems administrator for the newsroom content management system.
Mike took over as the IT Manager at the Wenatchee World in January 2019 and has since expanded on that role to assist with IT issues for other Wick publications.
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Communications
Mike Rand is Chief Financial Officer of Wick Communications.
"Mike brings a body of experience that will help build upon the work of previous CFOs," CEO Francis Wick said. "His eye on hitting targets and ability to drive successful deals in M&A puts Wick in a very exciting position as we move forward."
Rand moved to Wick after 20 years with News Media Corp. in the greater Chicago area, where he also was CFO. He has a bachelor's degree in Accountancy from Northern Illinois University, and is a CPA.
"I am very excited to be joining the Wick Communications team and learning from their 90 plus years of experience in the newspaper industry," he said. "My wife, Cindy, and I are happy to be moving to Sierra Vista soon and we won't miss the Northern Illinois winters."
Rand headed New Media's financial planning and accounting operations and negotiated and closed 40 acquisition deals. He has also spearheaded successful post-recession revenue initiatives and is an experienced mentor and coach.
Job Titles:
- With His Brother James in 1926, When He Became Owner and Publisher of the Niles Daily Times in Niles, Ohio
Milton I. Wick founded Wick Communications with his brother James in 1926, when he became owner and publisher of the Niles Daily Times in Niles, Ohio.
Mr. Wick was born Feb. 20, 1899, in Bowdle, South Dakota. He attended Irving Grade School and South High School in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He also attended the University of Iowa and received a B.A. degree from the University of Nebraska in 1922.
While in college, Milton and James Wick organized a business in Lincoln, Nebraska, that employed university students to sell books to farmers during the summer. The enterprise was so successful it was expanded to Iowa, Missouri and Kansas, employing more than 500 students during its three years of operation.
After graduation, Milton Wick worked in the sales department of McQuay-Norris, a manufacturer in St. Louis, Missouri. He married Rosemary Lumas in 1926, and they had two sons, Walter M. Wick and Robert J. Wick.
He turned to the publishing business in 1926, when he bought the Niles Daily Times. He eventually acquired 27 newspapers in several states.
Mr. Wick and his brother, accompanied by their wives, were the first U.S. journalists to tour and report from European and Asiatic Russia; previous reports had come from Moscow only. The Wicks also led the first group of U.S. journalists, as Wick Editors Tours, to Poland and Czechoslovakia. They also reported from Hungary and Romania.
James was a partner in every newspaper enterprise until his death in 1965, when Milton and his sons purchased his interests. That same year, Milton became director of the University of Nebraska Alumni Association; he also was a retired director of the University of Minnesota Alumni Association and publisher emeritus of the weekly newsletter Human Events.
Mr. Wick died Nov. 30, 1981, at age 82. He was inducted posthumously into the Arizona Newspapers Association Hall of Fame in 1996.
His sons, Walter and Robert, continued the family tradition of serving the community; Walter Wick died in 2016. In 2004, the Wick brothers were named to the Arizona Newspapers Association Hall of Fame in recognition of their devotion to newspapers and their support of community journalism.
Job Titles:
- Editor
- Communications
- Digital Audience Editor
Reilly is the digital audience editor for Wick Communications. He oversees audience development and digital subscription growth efforts, as well as the company's analytics program.
He also has deep editorial experience, ranging from photojournalism to enterprise reporting. His work has appeared in the pages of local publications all the way up to The New York Times.
Job Titles:
- Accounts Payable Accountant
Bob Wick - father, husband, son, brother, artist, environmentalist, friend, newspaper publisher, teacher - died Jan. 13, 2022 after a fight with cancer and subsequent heart attack. Wick was co-owner with his older brother, Walter [...]
Job Titles:
- Director of Digital
- Director of Digital / Central Design
Fitzpatrick is no stranger to the industry. He is a digital journalist and sales pioneer, migrating from his roots as a reporter in The Arizona Daily Star newsroom to helping it launch one of the first newspaper websites in the country in 1995.
At The Star, he led a team of writers, designers, and programmers in some of the first digital journalism experiments and worked with advertisers to create native advertising campaigns before that strategy had a name.
In addition to The Arizona Daily Star and Wick Communications, Sean has held digital media leadership positions for The Arizona Republic (Pulliam/Gannett) in Phoenix, the San Antonio Express-News (Hearst), KENS 5 (Belo) television and KOLD 13 (Raycom) television in Tucson, Ariz.
In his most recent media leadership role, as director of digital media for KOLD 13's TucsonNewsNow.com, Fitzpatrick grew KOLD's Facebook audience from last to first in the market, created original social and native advertising initiatives, and led the newsroom to its first regional Edward R. Murrow Award for best website.
Fitzpatrick has also held marketing technology leadership positions within the academic/science community at the Flandrau Science Center (University of Arizona) and the hospitality industry (Canyon Ranch). He has most recently been working as a user experience consultant and has designed and conducted hundreds of usability tests for clients across all industries.
Steve Phillips was elected to the board of directors in 2011 and was non-executive chairman from 2012 to 2020, when he transitioned back to a board director role. Steve currently chairs the Compensation committee and is a member of the Finance and Audit committee.
An experienced technology strategist and operator, Steve has spent 18 years as a Chief Information Officer and executive committee member at large global technology-driven enterprises: Gateway Computers, Memec, Avnet and most recently, Alorica, where he retired as EVP and CIO in 2021.
In 2015, Mr. Phillips was inducted into the CIO Hall of Fame, a lifetime achievement that honors IT executives and visionaries whose leadership has significantly impacted the field of IT.
Steve holds a bachelor's degree in electronic engineering from Essex University and a post-graduate diploma in management studies from the University of West London. He is a fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology.