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Some introductions are in order. Liberty readers, it’s time you met our whole staff.

Hello. I’m Amy Neal, and I have been a full-time staff member of the Liberty Tribune for almost six years. The past two and a half years, I have been the managing editor of the newspaper. But I have to sheepishly admit that this is the first week I have worked a full day out of the Tribune office on the north side of the Square.

You see, the Tribune is part of a group of weekly papers, and until recently our central office was located elsewhere in the Northland. Our editor, Angie Borgedalen, and our advertising sales staff have been downtown all along, but a lot of behind-the-scenes work has been done off site for quite a while.

That’s changed, and a staff of 21 now works full time out of our recently remodeled office at 104 N. Main St. Almost two dozen employees is a big addition to the downtown workforce, and it’s exciting for us to be able to have more face-to-face interaction with the community we serve.

We want to get to know you, and we want you to get to know us a little better.

Editorial staff

In our Editorial Department, Angie Borgedalen is our lead writer and reporter. If you already know someone from our staff, it’s most likely her. She’s been covering this community for more than 30 years.

Chris Geinosky is our sports editor. You’ll see him at the sidelines at high school and William Jewell College games.

Photo Editor Matt Frye seems to always be two places at once, easily identifiable with his camera gear in tow, as he splits his time among the three newspapers in our group.

Ray Weikal covers the Clay County Commission and Liberty school issues as a staff writer.

Ray and Editorial Assistant Amy Hooley work with me to lay out the news and community sections of the paper each week, while Chris handles the layout and design of the sports pages.

Many of our readers have talked on the phone with Amy Hooley. She also takes care of the Community Calendar, On Vacation photos and countless other community submissions.

I make sure these folks meet their deadlines, provide a sounding board for story ideas, and try to enforce style consistency from article to article and page to page.

Advertising staff

Dave Mapel leads our Advertising Department. He’s joined by Rachel Chrisman, who’s in charge of classified advertising, as well as David Merchant, Audra Gardner, Linda Petty and Jennifer DeLuca. They will help you put a display ad in the paper, find the right wording for your classified ad, create online advertising that compliments your print advertising, coordinate direct-mail pieces and more.

Ad Production staff

Once an ad has been sold, Ad Production Manager Julie Baker and graphic artist David Reed get to work. They design most of the ads in the Tribune and on its website, as well as direct-mail products and ads for the Tribune’s sister publications in Kearney and Smithville.

Circulation staff

Circulation Manger Stephanie Cates is responsible for getting the paper out to our readers once it’s been printed. Her team includes Jane Martin as well as contracted haulers and youth carriers.

When she’s not putting out fires for the Circulation Department, Jane is sitting at the front desk, welcoming visitors to our office, and helping callers get the information they want or connect with the right person.

Administration staff

The business side of the newspaper’s operations is handled by Business Manager Dina Ayers and her staff, including Vicki Pritchett and Leigha Skadsem. They are the numbers people of our group, making sure our bills are paid and accounts balanced. They, along with our Circulation Department, also are the front line of our customer service. If Jane Martin is occupied when you stop by or call our office, there’s a good possibility one of these ladies will greet you.

Publisher

And, last but not least, Publisher Matt Daugherty is here to help steer us in the right direction. He’s the guy in the office at the back of the building pushing us to be the most relevant and intensely local information source and advertising outlet serving the Liberty community.

An open invitation

Because the Tribune office is now the central office for our trio of Northland newspapers, there are a few other folks who work here with us from time to time, too. So whether you see one of us every day or only on rare occasions, stop by and say hello next time you’re downtown.

The Tribune’s door is open.

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