Love and Respect is Earned

By Jeff Jobe
Community Publisher

As I was swimming laps this week and in the quiet of my own thoughts, I began contemplating the retirement of one of our company’s loyal team members, Becky Jones.

Becky is one of four corporate office managers who report directly to me. This team of professionals has formed a wall of protection for me in not only my work life but my family life as well.

I want to thank her for her part in every moment I was permitted to spend with my children when they needed me long ago, and for the freedom to seek out and grow our company.

In the past 23 years of owning and managing community newspapers, there has indeed been some difficult times.

I know every employee understands their value and realizes they are appreciated. In some companies, singling out four would be a recipe for disaster, but not at Jobe Publishing, Inc.

Back in 2003, we managed 4 of the 12 newspapers in our region, and today we own 8 of the 9 still in existence and print the other. This strong past has allowed us to survive when others fail and positioned us for the growth announcements coming on October 1, 2025.

Our success comes from caring for one another and sharing the same desire to protect our families and our communities.

I sincerely don’t know their political views, but I am comfortable they believe in what we do in smoking out truth.

When my children were young, I had many years as a single dad with equal custody and no local family to help. There were years when I picked them up from school or had to make long drives to ballgames or after school events, and these ladies made it possible.

I watch now as they continue to do the same for each other, and it warms my heart. Whether it is taking a parent to the doctor, caring for their own children, or standing beside a partner or one another in ill health, I would put my company family’s love and respect up against any.

I wanted to thank Becky, but I know she will be most happy if she can share this space with her Jobe Publishing family, Lesia, Pam, Anissa, and Michelle.

Perhaps the quietest of the group is Pam. I sincerely don’t know Pam’s work schedule. All I know is we keep throwing more at her, and she keeps getting it done.

Pam began her newspaper career in February 1997 as a part-time bookkeeper, and today she is our Vice President of Accounts Receivable.

She said she enjoys customer service and feeling like part of a work family. Saying of her work family, “They have been with me through good and bad, always there.”

Lesia Logsdon is the front line for our corporate office. She was hired in March 1990, where she worked the front desk, helped with proofreading, government billing, and making deposits.

She takes hundreds of calls and emails each week, and a little secret that most don’t realize, if a call isn’t answered at one of our local offices by the fourth ring, it goes to her.

She listens, takes notes, and passes along the call to the proper person, and as a corporate member, she is alert to patterns in customer service needing attention.

The irony is that her most valuable contribution has been and certainly is today, customer service, and she doesn’t consider it work. I’m proud our Vice-President of Customer Service says that she enjoys “helping co-workers and coming to work.”

Perhaps my biggest challenging employee is Anissa Meredith, VP of Operations. I say this because this title was given to her, so I could have someone I could train and trust to get me answers needed to make decisions.

She started in May 1987 in the bindery working on government print jobs and newspaper productions. Around 1993, she advanced to getting print jobs and the newspapers to the presses.

While working with me, she was pushed to modernize our production process, and although she didn’t like it at the time, she has mastered our computer-to-plate process and is a key trainer for others.

She is trustworthy, makes sure we pay all our bills on time, and is not timid about debate in defense of an employee or sharing if the time has come to let one go. I do little without her counsel, and the two of us seem to get it right.

Anissa said, “Here at Jobe Publishing, we are all like family. I have worked with a few co-workers for 30 plus years and definitely think of them as family.” Adding, “I love my job, or I wouldn’t have stayed with it for 38 years so far.”

A few years back, I contemplated bringing in an outside President to oversee our day-to-day operation. In discussing the idea, I soon realized that there was absolutely no chance of me finding anyone who could manage these strong, independent people if they didn’t want to be managed.

This is where Michelle Spoelstra Rowe stepped up, and it has been a blessing. I have always said when you are ready to lead the people beside you, you know it.

This is certainly true for Michelle. She is the least tenured of the mentioned. Her career began in 2001, working in the bindery, primarily on inserting the newspapers with retailer flyers.

Shortly after, she was moved into the business office for the newspaper in Cave City. From there, she transitioned into graphic design and page layout.

During that time, she pursued and earned her Associate’s degree in Visual Communications, sparking her interest in web design in 2011.

In 2020, we named Michelle as the Director of Operations/President of Jobe Publishing. Inc. A promotion in which each of these ladies wholeheartedly supported. They knew Michelle was ready for the next move, but also, they were willing to help her, and this is what they did.

Michelle took much of my internal responsibility, and in 2022, she filled an elected position with the Kentucky Press Association I had held for more than 20 years. This makes me very proud.

Naturally, with strong confident employees, there are times in which there are disagreements, and I can only remember one time in which I didn’t run out of the building or simply say work it out.

It happened between Michelle and Becky. I have no idea what it was about, and it isn’t important. I simply said to Michelle, “I know all our personalities and how we all handle stress, all I will say is Becky Jones would never be rude to any of us, so I suggest you put feelings aside and fix it.” Michelle said, “You are right”, and she fixed it.

Becky will be missed by us all, including my ole Buddy Bruce White in Morgantown, who has lobbied for her to get pay increases for years.

These are her parting words:

“I started work here on April 22, 1996, it was then Cave Country Newspapers. I was hired to do ad design and typeset copy for the newspapers, as I had experience in those areas from my previous job at Glasgow Daily Times. You could say my career in this industry started when a kid off the street was given a chance many years ago.

At the time I started, there were only 3 newspapers and a print shop. Now the company, Jobe Publishing, is 8 newspapers strong and a commercial print shop. I am still in the design portion of the company. In the 29 years I have been here, technology has changed a lot over the years, from cut and paste to computers. I have enjoyed the creativeness in designing ads and printing, and have been blessed to have been recognized by my peers for my work.

I will miss my co-workers who have become a part of my family when you spend as much time together as we have over the years, and customers who have become lifelong friends.

To Jeff Jobe, many thanks for keeping hometown newspapers alive and well in this age of technology, and for not only being my boss, but family as well.”

Please join me in wishing Becky Jones, our Corporate VP of Visual Communications, a wonderful retirement filled with happiness, blessings, and time well deserved with her husband Robbie and family.

Becky is the most honored, award-winning designer we have ever had and I don’t like to imagine walking into our front office the first time and not seeing her.

She is loved and respected by all of us at Jobe Publishing, Inc. Thank you, Becky.