by Fred Seely, Editor
Realty/Builder Connection may be almost 14 years old but it's a long way behind its big brother, the Financial News & Daily Record, which is now 100 years old.
The Daily Record, owned and operated by the same family since 1912, has published over 26,000 continuous editions without interruption, all from the same downtown Jacksonville block.
The Jacksonville City Council last month proclaimed November 14 as Daily Record Day in Jacksonville and presented a framed resolution to Financial News & Daily Record publisher Jim Bailey and his staff honoring and commemorating the anniversary.
The Daily Record (www.jaxdailyrecord.com) is the area's official newspaper for the court systems and chronicles business in Northeast Florida. In addition to official records, the newspaper has a staff of journalists who provide news coverage of the area.
The newspaper was started a century ago by Bailey's grandfather, John Hall McManus. Bailey's father, James F. Bailey, was John McManus's son-in-law and took over the paper after Mr. McManus passed away.
In 1974, the elder Bailey had a serious heart attack. Concerned with his long term prognosis, Jim, who was in college at the time, returned to work in the family business.
"I came home from college, thinking I'd only be here temporarily before returning to school," said Bailey.
"Of course, as a kid, I'd been around the paper all my life. My first job was melting metal for the linotype machines. But, I knew nothing about running the business," he said.
"Now, 38 years later, I'm still here and I'm very grateful for not only the legacy, but the great life lessons I've been exposed to."
Through the years, Bailey said his family and the Daily Record have always tried to avoid self-promotion.
"Instead, we've chosen to invest money and human capital in non-profit groups and public service. And we're always looking for ways to make positive things happen in Jacksonville," he said.
Along the way, the company has expanded and now also has a printing plant on Jacksonville's westside that can handle major printing jobs.
Realty/Builder Connection was started to serve as a link between the construction and real estate communities.
"Like everything we do, we wanted to fill a vacuum," said Bailey. "It's not going to work unless you serve the greater good. There were real estate publications and there were builders' publications, but there wasn't anything that connected the two industries that must work closely together."