Making Changes and Moving Forward

Change is a constant in both business and journalism.

Over the past several months, Integrated Media Publishing has experienced change within our editorial team. With that transition comes an opportunity to look carefully at what we do, how we do it and, most importantly, how we can better serve South Carolina’s business community.

For decades, our publications have chronicled the people, companies and ideas shaping South Carolina. Greenville Business Magazine, Columbia Business Monthly, Charleston Business Magazine, B2B: The Grand Strand, and B2B: Pee Dee Business each have deep connections to the communities they serve.

That will not change.

What is changing is the way we approach that mission.

South Carolina’s economy is increasingly interconnected. A manufacturing announcement in the Upstate can create opportunities for suppliers in the Midlands. Growth at the Port of Charleston affects manufacturers and logistics companies hundreds of miles away. Development along the Grand Strand creates challenges involving infrastructure, workforce, and housing that are familiar to communities across the state. Decisions made by universities, health systems, utilities, and economic development organizations increasingly have implications well beyond their immediate regions.

Our editorial strategy needs to reflect that reality.

Going forward, you will see greater collaboration across our publications and more reporting that looks at South Carolina as a whole while maintaining the strong regional coverage that has always distinguished our magazines.

We are expanding our network of journalists and contributors, including writers with expertise in the industries that are driving South Carolina’s economy. Our coverage will continue to include economic development, manufacturing, real estate, construction, health care, technology, higher education and professional services, while putting greater emphasis on issues such as workforce development, infrastructure, energy, logistics and the changing demands facing businesses of every size.

We also want to go beyond announcements.

A new company coming to South Carolina is news. But so are the questions that follow: Where will the workers come from? Does the community have the housing and infrastructure to support the growth? What suppliers will benefit? What challenges does the project create? How does the investment fit into larger changes taking place within an industry?

Those are the stories we want to tell.

Our digital presence will become increasingly important to that effort. A monthly business magazine serves a different purpose than a daily news website, newsletter or social media platform. Instead of treating those platforms as separate products, we are working to make them parts of one continuous conversation with South Carolina’s business community.

That means delivering timely business news throughout the month while using our magazines for the deeper reporting, analysis, profiles and conversations that deserve more time and space.

It also means listening.

Some of the best business stories do not begin with a press release. They begin with a conversation with a business owner, an economic developer, a university president, an attorney, a banker, a manufacturer, or someone who sees a change occurring before it becomes obvious to everyone else.

We want our publications to be a place where those conversations happen.

Integrated Media Publishing also has a unique opportunity because our relationship with South Carolina’s business community extends beyond journalism. Through our awards programs, events, panel discussions, and partnerships, we bring together thousands of business and community leaders each year.

Those relationships can help us identify important issues and bring knowledgeable voices into the conversation. At the same time, maintaining the trust of our readers requires us to remain clear about the distinction between journalism and paid partnerships. Our advertisers and sponsors make much of what we do possible, but our credibility depends on producing editorial content that readers find useful, relevant and trustworthy.

That principle will continue to guide us.

This transition is also about building the next generation of Integrated Media Publishing. We are investing in writers, editors, and young journalists while creating opportunities for experienced business leaders and subject-matter experts to contribute their knowledge and perspectives.

No single newsroom can be everywhere in a state as economically diverse as South Carolina. But we can build a network capable of listening across the state, asking better questions and connecting developments that might otherwise be viewed in isolation.

After more than three decades of publishing South Carolina business news, our purpose remains remarkably simple: We want business leaders to understand what is happening, why it matters and what may be coming next.

How we accomplish that will continue to evolve.

Our commitment to South Carolina will not.

As publisher, I am excited about where Integrated Media Publishing is headed. I am especially grateful to our readers, whose continued engagement and trust give purpose to what we do, and to our advertisers and sponsors, whose support allows us to continue investing in quality business journalism across South Carolina. I am equally grateful to my staff: Kiki Wooley, Associate Publisher; Donna Walker, Editor; Ty Irwin, Marketing and Communications Manager; Amy Kissel, Account Manager; and August Spencer, Editorial Assistant; our writers; our creative team; photographers; and other professionals — past and present — who have helped build these publications and earn the trust of our readers. 

The next chapter will build on that foundation while challenging us to become faster, broader and more ambitious in our coverage.

Most importantly, we want you to be part of it.

Tell us what you are seeing in your industry. Tell us which issues deserve greater attention. Introduce us to the businesses and people doing work that others should know about. And when you think we have missed an important story, tell us that, too.

South Carolina’s business story is changing quickly.

Our job is to make sure we are there to tell it.

Lori Coon
Publisher
Integrated Media Publishing, LLC