Realty/Builder Connection has won its third Laurel in four years.
The newspaper, published monthly by Jacksonville’s Bailey Publishing & Communications Inc., is sent to all licensed Realtors and a number of builders in the North Florida area.
“We’re proud to be recognized by the Laurel Committee,” said Jim Bailey, the company’s president and publisher of the newspaper. “We strive for excellence, just as others do in this industry. We want to serve our readers.”
The newspaper is eight years old and was started to fill what Bailey said was a major need in the real estate and construction communities.
“There are excellent association publications here but there wasn’t an independent news outlet that keep the two together,” said Bailey. “There was a need for a publication that covered all facets of the industry.”
An average issue has over 400 area Realtors and builders featured in photos that Bailey said is an invaluable and unique service. “You may talk to people over the phone and now you see what they look like,” he said.
The coverage takes in every major event.
“We cover the major meetings with a story and photos each month,” said Bailey. “We want people to know that we’re on the scene. If a large number of Realtors are in one place, so are we.”
The coverage isn’t limited to major events.
“The grand openings are important to builders and Realtors, and they’re important to us,” said Bailey.
Realty/Builder Connection’s staff members are well known in the community. Deborah Metzig is the account executive. The staff writers are Michele Newbern Gillis and David Chapman.
The newspaper is printed in Bailey Communication’s production facility on Commonwealth Avenue.
Bailey said he’s also proud of a new feature in Realty/Builder Connection, which is inserted in all Realty/Builder Connections, as well as distributed to the focused area.
“The main newspaper covers the area but we felt that we needed to be more specific, so we started ‘Community Link’,” he said. “This quarterly publication allows us to focus tightly on particular areas of the region.”
The first two Community Link sections have featured the Baymeadows/9A area of South Jacksonville and the West side of Jacksonville. The next issue will feature northwestern St. Johns County.