20 Under 40 - 1997 Profile: Carla A. Alford, The Tri-City (Wash.) Herald

PRESSTIME

By Presstime Magazine

First Published: December 1997

Carla A. Alford walked into the Tri-City Herald's human-resources department wanting to land a composing-room job. She walked out as the Kennewick, Wash., daily's human-resources assistant.

"It sounded like it had a lot of different responsibilities and I wouldn't get bored," she says. Three years later, Alford hasn't time to catch her breath, much less become bored. After helping establish the 39,854-circulation morning paper's first employee diversity committee and training, she was promoted to marketing coordinator earlier this year. Alford now oversees community programs and database-marketing efforts, runs the audiotex system and—as if that wasn't enough—recently started selling Internet advertising. "There's no typical day,"she says with a laugh. "I come in expecting to do one thing and find I have five other things to do."

Community still comes first. As the newspaper's representative at countless events ranging from Easter Egg hunts to health fairs, Alford relays community feedback throughout the paper. "They're very honest—they don't hold anything back," she says of area citizens. Alford also encourages co-workers to reach out; Afro-Americans for an Academic Society, a program that rewards outstanding minority students, numbers among her causes.

Alford's duties mirror what she sees as the Herald's key challenge: coming up with new ideas in a community where slow growth could otherwise stunt innovation.

Along with her high-profile community role, Alford relishes the way her multifaceted job brings her in contact with staffers in every department. The wide range of people in those departments, she says, energizes her.

"It's not just everybody in a blue suit," she says.