COMMUNITY IS NEWSPAPER'S BIG STRENGTH

My dad is a hero to me. A man of unbending principle and a strong sense of fairness, his visionary leadership has built one of the most dynamic small-newspaper companies in the country. While growing from a single weekly newspaper three and a half decades ago to 46 newspapers with more than 800,000 readers today, he has always emphasized the importance of quality local news, service to advertisers and a culture of trust and respect with employees, whom he views as part of his own family.

On Thursday, he became chairman of the board for the company he created, and my brother Rex and I were named co-presidents.

The transition does not mean Gary Rust is retiring from the newspaper business, but he will be stepping away from some of the headaches of daily operation. As my brother Rex said in Friday's newspaper: "We do not expect, nor want, Dad to retire from the business as a whole. But this announcement marks a transition for the community to bring problems, recommendations and ideas directly to Jon, me and our local management."

At the Southeast Missourian, that local management remains strong with Wally Lage, publisher and company chief operating officer, at the helm of the newspaper, and Joe Sullivan running the newsroom. And it goes much deeper.

On Thursday, the newspaper and Concord Printing held a full company meeting. We do this annually to share financial performance openly with all employees and to talk about big issues facing the company. At the meeting, each department head reports on his or her staff and talks about new initiatives.

The event presented an impressive array of management talent. The affection, good humor and commitment to excellence that marks the people who work in this company was on bright display. Rex kept the crowd laughing with his memories of growing up literally at the knees of some of the employees who have been with the company more than 25 years. And in his remarks, our dad made it clear that, although retiring from day-to-day responsibilities, he will not be far away.

I'd like to share with you some of the comments I made at this annual meeting:

"If you follow the wider newspaper industry, you know that there are few family-owned newspapers anymore. Most families have sold out because the prices for selling newspapers have never been higher than they are today. Other families (and some chain newspaper groups) have sold because they are concerned about the future, because they fear the impact of the Internet and other technologies.

"Rex and I don't have the same fear about the future, because we believe our newspapers and each one of you are poised to take advantage of technology and the Internet. And maximizing profit, squeezing the very last possible dollar out of an operation, or out of a sale, is not our goal.

"My pop did not become a newspaperman because he thought it was a good business. He became a newspaperman because he believed it was a business that could do good.

"This passion courses in us too. Perhaps in different ways, because everyone has his own style, but the core belief is the same. I would not be back here if I didn't believe that.

"Not all businesses can share such a lofty mission: to inform and inspire ... to entertain to seek the truth to help our communities do business and to thrive. To do good.

"But we are blessed because of what we can do, together, as a team. It's great to be back here with all of you. My door is always open."

I would like to extend the same sentiment to the entire community. Rex and I know that one of the greatest strengths of a newspaper is the strength of its community. Do not hesitate to contact me, Rex, Wally or Joe if you need attention. Rex and I might refer you to the appropriate member of our management team, especially since we are often on the road working with our other newspapers, but we will make sure your ideas and concerns are heard. We appreciate the opportunity to serve you.

~Jon K. Rust is president of Rust Communications, which owns the Southeast Missourian. He can be reached at jrust@semissourian.com or by calling (573) 335-6611.