West Side Business

Network

Innovative Idea Presentation

by

Dawn Ferencak,

Wednesday Journal Publications

Wednesday Journal Publications

3 Suburban Publications : 1 Urban Publication

The story of how a struggling community newspaper learned to thrive:

● Austin Weekly News covers the West Side of Chicago

○ mostly low income neighborhood

○ much poverty, high crime, food dessert, high unemployment

○ high number of ex-offenders re-entered into the community

○ high number of children being raised by grandparents

● Compared to our 3 suburban publications

○ Wednesday Journal covers Oak Park & River Forest

* affluent community - known for Frank Lloyd Wright/tourism

* boarders Austin - Chicago’s West Side

○ Forest Park Review - middle class

○ Riverside Brookfield Landmark - upper middle class

Relationship Based

Community Building

Local politicians at the West Side Heart & Sole 5K

Paxton

Ferencak

meets

Governor

Quinn

Wednesday Journal Publications’

Publisher Dan Haley at a community

event with his mentee

Growing up in the neighborhood

Paxton at Sec. of State

Jessie White’s desk

Paxton shaking hands with

Chicago Mayor Emanuel

Paxton

Ferencak

makes the

cover of the

competing

newspaper

for Chicago’s

West Side

Out & About in Austin began in 2010

2011

By September of

2011, we decided to

EXPAND our

circulation, and

cover the entire

West Side of

Chicago

2012

2013

2014

Out & About in Austin

publishes every week

in print and online

www.AustinWeeklyNews.com

Creating a network for the

business community

Austin Weekly News’ Business Development Luncheons

began in June 2012

Publisher Dan Haley at networking events

Austin Weekly News’ tote bags

3000 distributed at community events each year

Austin Weekly News’ West Side Women

networking group began in February 2013

Each meeting includes time for introductions

“The Austin Weekly News has created the

West Side Business Network along with

other groups during this past year.

The results have been

outstanding - providing

outreach, information and

networking to business' and

organizations in the Austin community.”

- Sandra Sokol, former Village Clerk,

Village of Oak Park

West Side Women networking meetings are FREE to attend,

though women are encouraged to purchase their own

breakfast and support Alice’s Restaurant

Alice’s Soul Food

RestaurantA West Side landmark

for over 30 years

5638 W. Chicago Avenue

Chicago, IL

The One

Year

Anniversary

Meeting of

West Side

Women

included

Vendor

Tables

Men started coming to West Side Women...

And so, in March of 2013, the West Side

Bridge networking group was born

Meets to discuss bridging the gap between Chicago’s West Side and western suburbs :

engages non-profits and community stakeholdersth

We alternate monthly meetings, one month held in our lobby, the next month held at

a local non-profit space. We soon out grow our lobby!

Austin Weekly News’ West Side Men

networking group began in May 2013

Advertising Revenue Quadruples

Results & Outcomes

West Side Community Guide doubles in size

Seen as Community Leaders

Revenue from nonprofits grows in

Wednesday Journal (sister publication)

Austin Weekly News’ email list grows

from 300 to 2,800 in 2 years

Dedicated “Community Focus” Emails

West Side

Business

Network

Weekly

Update

Emails

Breaking News Emails

Dawn wins Sales Representative of the Year

for 2011 and 2013“We are proud of Dawn for her hard

work, professionalism and most of

all for her abiding commitment

to helping her clients market

and promote their businesses to

reach more customers and increase

their sales.

Dawn definitely deserves the honor

of being named among the top

newspaper advertising

professionals in the State.”

- Illinois Press Association

“Because of the support that Community of Congregations received from

the Austin Weekly News and the Oak Park Wednesday Journal, we were

delighted to welcome over 200 people to Ascension Church for our

Annual Meeting to interact with a panel of 11 community leaders.

The newspapers' willingness to highlight the

resources available in our communities as well as

the needs we face together, helps all of us be informed

and prepared us to be engaged in meaningful ways for the

benefit of all of us.”- Sally Iberg

Pilgrim Community Church

Community of Congregations

West Side Business Network Holiday Party:

A Celebration of Success!

Attendees included Anan Abu-Taleb

(2nd from left), President of the

Village of Oak Park

● 1st Annual Party to celebrate

the West Side Business

Network growing to over 500

members

● Raised over $2,575 in

Sponsorships

● Over 250 people attended

● Secured volunteers from half

a dozen local organizations

2nd Annual West Side Business Network Holiday Party:

on track for even bigger success!● Already raised $6,000 in

Sponsorships

● Doing a “Taste of Local

Eats,” a buffet of

refreshments from area

establishments that will

allow guests to

experience our

neighborhood’s culinary

creations

“I'm very pleased to announce that we are promoting Dawn Ferencak to Associate

Publisher of the Austin Weekly News. This title recognizes the broad and

powerful role that Dawn (and Junior Associate Publisher Paxton Ferencak) play

in representing the Weekly across the West Side.

It has been remarkable to watch and to participate as Dawn has built a strong

revenue base for this publication and has done that by building an astounding

network of West Siders who participate actively in the networking groups which

Dawn has built from scratch. This is a textbook study of community organizing

meeting community journalism. And it is powerful.

Thanks to Dawn and Paxton and all those who have supported this effort.”

- Dan Haley, Publisher, Wednesday Journal, Inc.

Dawn named Associate Publisher of

Austin Weekly News in March 2014

Dawn is recognized as an Unsung Heroine of Cook County in March 2014

“Dawn Ferencak is an unsung hero because she works tirelessly

everyday to further the success of her family, the company she works

for, and the many organizations she is involved with. Dawn is incredibly

dedicated to her community – the West Side of Chicago. For years

now, Dawn has made Austin Weekly News the most profitable

newspaper produced by Wednesday Journal Publications, while

bringing an invaluable positive energy to the workplace. On the board

of 6 organizations, Dawn is always attending local events with her son,

Paxton, now a well-known fixture in the community.”

Dawn with her son Paxton and

Cook County Board President Toni

Preckwinkle

“I have asked Dawn Ferencak to take on the leadership of the sales staff for our

four weeklies.

She will become our new sales manager and comes ready with great

enthusiasm, plenty of ideas on how to grow our business in both digital and

print, a clear sense of the challenges and opportunities we face and an

unparalleled work ethic.

Dawn is the right person to lead our efforts in these remarkable times of change.”

- Dan Haley, Publisher, Wednesday Journal, Inc.

Dawn named Sales Manager

in July 2014

National Recognition

Invited to act as Moderator for a panel discussion at the

Illinois Diversity Council’s National Women’s Conference

“Transitional Leadership: From Vision to Impact”

Dawn with Donna Brazile, author, academic, and

political analyst who is Vice Chairwoman of the

Democratic National Committee

National Recognition

The story of the West

Side Business Network

was included in an article

in Metro Plus Business

Magazine

Events

The West Side Business Network

hosted several free Health Panel

Discussions for the community

West Side Women’s Health Forum

West Side Men’s Health Fair

● Helps to establish

connections that

promote collaboration

with the goal of mutual

benefit

● People become

connected through the

WSBN -- It's the first

group they seek out

when they want to

grow their business

in Austin!

● The West Side

Business Network

(WSBN) has over

500 members

● Now forming sub-

committees to help

plan events

Outcomes

● Dawn on the Board of

Directors at 5 West

Side organizations

● Alicia promoted to

Communications and

Marketing Project

Manager

Revenue continues to soar!

Members are Engaged● Weekly Email

Updates with

upcoming

meetings and

flyers from

members

● Monthly

Postcard

Reminders

● Newspaper

Ads

West Side

Manufacturing

Network(for the over 300

manufacturing and

production companies on

Chicago’s West Side)

Next Steps

Austin Weekly News

Society for Community

Journalism and

Outreach

(a nonprofit)

Community Room Makeover

Presentation made by Alicia Plomin,

Communications & Marketing Manager,

Wednesday Journal Publications

The End