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In this business, we typically prefer to stay behind the scenes—rarely boastful about our work. Someone I’ve long admired in this field once said, “We like to be behind the news, not in the news.” But today, if you’ll indulge me, I’d like to take a moment to brag.

I’ve known for quite some time that I work alongside some of the most talented individuals in journalism and media. Every day, when I walk through the doors of the Suffolk News-Herald office, I’m reminded of how lucky I am to collaborate with the best and brightest in the industry. This weekend, at the annual Virginia Press Association Awards Banquet in Richmond, that truth was made abundantly clear — your Suffolk News-Herald and Suffolk Living Magazine team proved they are leaders in weekly journalism.

Our newsroom and advertising teams demonstrated their unwavering dedication to quality journalism and community service by bringing home an impressive thirteen first-place awards, nine second-place awards, and fourteen third-place awards. But the honors didn’t stop there.

We also earned the Advertising Sweepstakes, the top award for our advertising division. Even more impressively, Creative Director Jen Jaqua and Marketing Consultant Hope Rose were awarded Best in Show for their outstanding work in advertising. Jen also received a Best in Show award for one of her breathtaking photographs in Suffolk Living.

As if that weren’t enough to make any publisher proud, I had the distinct honor of accepting the Grand Sweepstakes on behalf of our team — awarded to the newspaper with the highest combined score in news and advertising. In short, we were named the #1 paper in our division. What a night!

As publisher, I have the pleasure of witnessing this team’s hard work every day. But seeing them recognized by our peers in the industry is something truly special. The competition in our division is fierce — our work goes head-to-head with some of the top media outlets in the state. To be named the best among them is a tremendous honor.

There aren’t enough words to express my gratitude to this remarkable team. The next time you see or work with Avery, Ed, Hope, Jen, or Terence, please join me in congratulating them on their success. They are, without a doubt, the best in the business—and they remain committed to delivering top-notch journalism and business development to you, our readers.