A Letter From Our Publisher
These last 2 weeks have been a whirlwind. A lot goes into starting a media company. I believe The Augusta Press will prove to be a historic asset to the community. Journalism is a totally new venture for me, but it’s one I’m honored to take. Community service, what real journalism is all about, is a passion for my colleagues at The Augusta Press and me.
My first career out of high school was serving in the United States Marine Corp. After finishing my service in the military, I became a real estate agent. Just over a year later my wife and I purchased Sherman and Hemstreet Real Estate Co. a 90-year-old Augusta real estate firm. My wife and five children are what drives me every day. Raising them together with my wife of 18 years in a Christian household, homeschooling them, and watching them grow into adulthood has been my greatest honor.
My family and friends all know that I am a risk taker. I always have been and probably always will continue to take big risks. Buying Sherman & Hemstreet at the age of 24 was a huge risk. Acquiring other real estate firms and merging them into S&H over the years was a risk. Investing in the historic First Baptist Church downtown when nobody else thought the project was feasible was a risk. And starting a digital newspaper during a time when journalism is under attack and print media is dying was a risk. So far, all these risks have paid off and I firmly believe that The Augusta Press will be one of the most rewarding ventures I have ever been involved with. My hope is it will benefit my children, grandchildren, and all of Augusta for the next century.
At some point in the last few years, I realized that part of setting a good example for my kids meant engaging in things that would benefit the community. Even now my wife and I are actively engaged in trying to create a non-profit that will help with many of the needs in downtown Augusta. I will write about that in the coming weeks.
The Augusta Press had a very interesting beginning as most new companies do. The last two years I have been looking at different options related to both print and digital media. It turns out that while I was trying to create a sustainable model to compete in the news industry the now partners at The Augusta Press were doing the same thing. Once we came together it was very clear that we had something special that would work. In just the last six months enough has transpired in our beginnings that could fill a book. But the reward is that we have assembled the dream team of writers and staff.
So that’s a little about me. A year ago, I didn’t know the first thing about cutlines or headlines or bylines. But I am learning. The Augusta Press has an incredible staff. We really found the best of the best serve our community and our readers. They will produce a newspaper whose news is full, fair, and accurate. And unbiased. We will always clearly label news as news and opinion as opinion, and we pledge to maintain a firewall between the two. It will be a fun and rewarding journey and we hope that all of Augusta will take it with us.
Joe Edge is the Publisher for The Augusta Press. Reach him at joe.edge@theaugustapress.com
