Mike Giangreco, General Manager, Gold Country Media
Mike Giangreco joined Gold Country Media in March of 2006. Mike has been in the media business since 1977 working for dailies, weeklies, monthlies, shoppers and magazines as well as numerous online projects. Mike got started on the advertising side of the business and moved into general management in 1982. Immediately preceding his joining Brehm Communications, Inc. he had been working for Gannett, Inc. in Tennessee.
Mike is passionate about the mission and role of community newspapers. He's also very optimistic about the prospects for the future as the business shifts to multi platform distribution of content and recognizes the value of
moving from "one voice to many" to "many voices to many". He believes that building audiences is the key to success regardless of the platform.
Mike's other interests include travel, wine, music (old vinyl), golf and table tennis. He and his wife, Ronda, live in Auburn.
Bill Wallace, Placer Community Newspapers Publisher
Bill Wallace is the publisher of Placer Community Newspapers, comprised of The Press-Tribune, The Placer Herald, The Lincoln News Messenger, The Loomis News, The Folsom Telegraph and The El Dorado Hills Telegraph. He also oversees the Granite Bay and Rocklin View magazines, as well as various other publications. He moved to Roseville with his wife Karen a little more than two years ago, after serving as general manager of News West Publishing in Bullhead City, Arizona, another cluster of newspapers owned by Brehm Communications Inc.
Tony Hazarian, Publisher
Tony Hazarian joined the Auburn Journal in March 2006 after a year as publisher of Placer Community Newspapers in Roseville.
Born and raised in San Jose, Hazarian returned to his home state after nearly 15 years in the Pacific Northwest as an editor, marketing director and circulation manager for community and daily newspapers in the Puget Sound. His newspaper career has spanned 25 years and across several states after graduating with a degree in journalism from the University of Oregon.
"Newspapers are not only relevant to everyday life, they are the chronicles of our modern history. And at the local level, they reflect and lead the community," Hazarian said. "It's a tremendous challenge and a wonderful opportunity to make a difference that we all take very seriously."
Outside the office, Hazarian enjoys golf, running, baseball, landscaping, cooking and wine, and looks forward to the next visit of his daughter, Shea. He lives in Roseville, where is engaged to Kate Bishop and enjoys time with Kate’s children, Jessica and Scott. He is a member of Auburn Gold Country Rotary, and is on the board of directors for the Auburn Chamber of Commerce.
Deric Rothe, senior editor/general manager
Deric Rothe took the reins as editor of the Auburn Journal in March 1997. Rothe came to the Journal from the Sacramento Bee, where he was editor of the Elk Grove-Laguna Neighbors section. He grew up in Davis and is a California State University, Chico graduate. Rothe has won numerous California Newspaper Publishers Association, Society of Better Newspapers and Brehm Communications awards for feature reporting, editorial writing, promotion of literacy, front-page design, editorial pages and more.
"What I love about community journalism is dealing every day with issues and stories that directly affect people's lives," Rothe said. "Everyone has a story to tell. You just have to listen."
Along with his passion for news, Rothe enjoys skiing, whitewater rafting, kayaking and playing foosball on the Tornado table soccer professional tour. Rothe is the founder and chairman of the Auburn Community Festival and its giant pumpkin contest. He is also a member of Auburn Rotary Club. Rothe serves on the Rotary club's program committee and with its Thousand Smiles clinics in Mexico that benefit indigent children.
He and his wife, Carmen, a local real estate professional, have three daughters and spend their free time enjoying the foothills and fixing up their home on the edge of the American River canyon.
Jim Easterly, Gold Country Printing General Manager
Jim Easterly joined the team as general manager of Gold Country Printing in April 2004 bringing with him a wealth of press, printing and installation experience.
Gold Country Printing prints 17 company publications and serves more than 50 outside clients. Jim is a consultant for all Brehm Communication pressrooms in seven states including Iowa, Arizona, Utah and California.
Jim has been in the printing business since 1979 in one facet or another. Before moving from his native Washington to California Jim worked as general manager for Olympic Cascade publishing in Gig Harbor, Wash.
He said his fascination with the printing process began at an early age.
“I delivered newspapers every day for years on a bike,” he said. “I was always fascinated by the presses.”
At his first job, at the Sunnyside Daily News in Washington, Jim learned the printing and press business from the ground up.
“I am interested in all aspects of printing and production from the imaging computer to plate all the way through to printing and bindery,” he said.
Jim grew up on a ranch in Washington and attended Yakima Valley Community College where he studied offset printing.
In what little spare time he has Jim can usually be found wrenching on this 1965 Ford Falcon hot rod, riding dirt bikes with his two sons, camping or working on his sprawling Cool property with his wife of 20 years, Adena.
Staci Burns, Business Manager
Staci Burns joined Gold Country Media as Business Manager in January 2005. She is new to California but already considers it “home.”
“I can’t imagine living anywhere else,” Burns said. “There is definitely something to be said for the sun shining every day.”
Previously Burns was employed as Senior Accountant/Analyst for The Plain Dealer, Ohio’s largest metro newspaper. She was also General Accounting Manager for Thomson Newspaper’s Penn-Ohio group, rounding out 10 years newspaper experience.
Burns, a certified public accountant, earned her MBA from Regis University in Denver and attained Senior Graduate Faculty status for the Keller Graduate School of Management where she teaches accounting and IS courses.
Along with her passion for the publishing business and education, she enjoys creative writing, fitness training and skiing.