Leadership changes at Reflector

FINDLAY — As the summer season descends upon the region, the commitment to local news within the Norwalk Reflector remains as strong as ever. That strength is something that has Jeremy Speer excited about spending more time with the Reflector and its staff. Speer was recently named group publisher over the Register and its sister papers, as Ron Waite has taken a full-time role as the leader of the company's Marketing and Advertising Services for Ogden Newspapers Inc. This includes our newspaper brands, magazines, contests and promotions as well as our strong digital marketing services. Also, Rob Jenney has taken on the role of group circulation director as circulation director Diane Orihel recently retired. John Kridelbaugh will continue to serve as general manager of the Sandusky Register and Norwalk Reflector and as the group's advertising director. He will be the day-to-day leader at the Reflector. Speer has served as local publisher of The Courier in Findlay, The Advertiser-Tribune in Tiffin and Review Times in Fostoria since December 2019, and will oversee the operations in Sandusky, Norwalk, Findlay, Tiffin and Fostoria. "The Norwalk Reflector is a very respected publication, and does a tremendous job covering its community while providing multi-media marketing platforms," Speer said. "I am passionate about our industry and our communities and will tirelessly work to make our products as strong as possible." Speer has spent time in the Sandusky area during the past few years, working with Waite and his team on various cross-property projects. His column appears in the Register and Reflector on most weeks. "I am blown away by the talent and professionalism in our group," Speer said. "There are some incredibly creative people who work for us who care deeply about their communities and the success of our publications. We are going to continue to leverage our strengths and work together. I am grateful to also work for a company who believes in the importance of local publications." In the leadership team of Kridelbaugh, Jenney, Matt Westerhold, group executive editor, and Joe Centers, community editor, Speer said he is fortunate to be working alongside a group of such veteran news leaders, who share passion for the industry and vision for its future. "We're not going to sit on our hands," Speer said. "You are going to see new products, ideas and ways of engaging audiences, just as the Reflector has always strived to accomplish." Waite served the Register and Reflector for six years, seeing the publications through their transition into Ogden's ownership in 2019. In late 2019, Waite was promoted to group publisher over the company's five-paper region. In 2021, his expertise in advertising had him tapped to serve Ogden in the advertising leadership role. Waite has handled the dual role for more than year, but now will focus entirely on assisting the family-owned company's various markets across the country. "Serving as the publisher of the Sandusky Register and Norwalk Reflector has been one of the highlights of my 36 years in this industry. This is a bittersweet exit for me, as I have enjoyed my time here with this amazing group of dedicated associates who care deeply about providing the local stories to our readers." Speer, whose parents met in the newsroom of the Wheeling Intelligencer, is a second-generation newsman. His first jobs were spent at The Alpena News in Michigan, delivering papers, driving missed papers for circulation and writing sports stories while in high school. He graduated from Central Michigan University, before serving in various editorial leadership positions at the Herald Times in Gaylord, Michigan, and the News-Review in Petoskey, Michigan. He moved Ohio in May 2019 to become publisher of The Advertiser-Tribune. His wife, Betsy, is a high school English teacher and he has two daughters, Isabelle, 12, and Juliet, 7. He serves as a trustee on the Ohio News Media Association's Board of Directors. Jenney was a circulation leader at his hometown Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum before moving to Findlay 17 years ago to lead at The Courier. During that time, he became Findlay and Fostoria's circulation director in 2013, adding responsibilities in Tiffin last year. He's been in the newspaper industry for 43 years. Kridelbaugh joined the group's leadership team in early 2021 after serving in a number of leadership roles in advertising, circulation and marketing for various media companies in several states. The past 12 years have been spent in Ohio including roles as Publisher for two Ohio newspapers. "I was part of some of Michgan's best papers, and we often sought ideas from other strong local publications," Speer said. "When I was there, I was well aware of the Register's strength and commitment to journalism. Knowing that got me very excited to be associated with it, and even more excited now that I'm highly engaged with it."