Eleven years ago, a new newspaper hit the Northeast Florida real estate and construction scene. It was named Realty/Builder Connection and its publisher, Jim Bailey, set one goal: “to serve the industries and our readers better than anyone else.”
The judges for the annual Laurel Awards agree, as the newspaper won another Laurel in the “Best Industry Related Publication” category.
“We’re in the publishing business and we felt it was a good product for us,” said Bailey. “We know how to write stories, take care of advertisers and distribute publications. We’ve also built a good team to put everything together.”
Bailey Publishing & Communications Inc. is one of the area’s oldest companies, starting in 1912 and staying in business continually ever since. The main office is in downtown Jacksonville with a printing plant on the city’s outskirts.
The company’s signature publication is the Financial News and Daily Record, the legal newspaper that chronicles the city’s business dealings. It’s published five days a week and contains valuable information such as home sales, prices, foreclosures, new business licenses and bankruptcies.
Bailey has many friends in the real estate and construction industries and started Realty/Builder Connection with the encouragement of many of the industry leaders.
“The associations all had excellent publications but, of course, they were about their own association,” said Bailey. “There wasn’t an independent newspaper that could bring everyone together. That’s why we came up with the name; it ‘connects’ everyone.”
The company’s leaders stay close to the industry, too. Bailey himself is frequently seen at the various association meetings and Advertising Sales Director Deborah Metzig directly contributes her time to serve on many boards.
Lead Writer Michele Gillis is a familiar face at meetings and she’s responsible for many of the photos that appear in the publication.
“If we had the time, it would be interesting to see how many different people get their photo in our paper over the course of a year,” said Bailey. “A lot, for sure. It would take a heck of a lot of time to count them!”
Winning the Laurel again is an honor, said Bailey, but it’s secondary.
“The prime mission is to serve our readers,” he said. “You can’t success without good information and I hope we provide that every month.”
Bailey said the newspaper tries to reach out as much as possible.
“We’re the only publication with a comprehensive ‘Top producers’ listing,” he said. “Nowhere else will you find a calendar of upcoming events that covers all areas of the real estate and construction industries.
“The monthly statistics from Florida Realtors is vital information and we make sure the statewide charts are included in each issue so our readers can follow market trends.”
Story ideas are welcomed, too.
“We want to write stories of general interest and we want suggestions,” he said. ‘Email me directly. I’m at [email protected]. Or tell Deborah or Michele when you see them.”