20 Under 40 - 2002 Profile: Julie Moreno

PRESSTIME

By Presstime Magazine

First Published: November 2002

Energy in action

When a fire ravaged the offices of a shopper owned by Freedom Newspapers of Southwestern Arizona Inc. in Yuma, one employee was on the scene immediately, worked all night in muck and soot to salvage equipment and files, and was the last to leave at 4:30 a.m. It was Publisher Julie Moreno, and the incident reflects her intense involvement in every aspect of the company, publisher of The Sun (circulation 22,721), Bajo El Sol, a 21,400-circulation Spanish-language weekly, and SuperShopper.

"When you visit any of the offices, you may find Julie sitting in on an editorial meeting discussing the latest city council issues, lending a hand in advertising with a real estate magazine, discussing competitive concerns with the sales staff, or discussing process-color registration with the press crew," says Lori Stofft, FNSWA marketing manager.

Moreno has also made many savvy decisions: Upon her arrival two years ago, The Sun was renamed, redesigned and converted to morning delivery. For the first time in nine years, circulation is strong, up 5.9 percent this past June over the prior year.

Moreno also moved the offices of Bajo El Sol closer to the population it serves in the southern part of Yuma County. With her guidance, FNSWA launched a monthly business magazine, developed a real estate Internet site, founded Sun Studio to specialize in creative design services, and tripled the size of its Newspaper In Education program.

As a result, FNSWA had a "fantastic" fiscal 2001, finishing with earnings 26 percent ahead of the prior year and 13 percent over budget, says Stofft. Teamwork helped. Moreno says, "Inclusion is important. People spend a lot of time at their jobs, and should feel a sense of purpose and value and understand the current challenges to the business."

Education: 1986, B.A., journalism, University of Missouri-Columbia; 1995, M.B.A., University of Texas-Brownsville.
Career: 1986-90, account executive, co-op advertising manager, The Brownsville (Texas) Herald; 1990, co-op advertising manager, Austin Weekly; 1991-95, director of advertising, director of sales, The Brownsville Herald; 1995-97, publisher, Clovis (N.M.) News Journal; 1997-2000, senior publisher, Freedom Newspapers of New Mexico, Clovis; 2000-present, publisher, Freedom Newspapers of Southwestern Arizona Inc., Yuma.
Personal: Age, 38. Born, Shenandoah, Iowa. Married, husband Carlos.
Diversions: Cooking, gardening, being outdoors and active.
Connections: Freedom Newspapers of Southwestern Arizona, 2055 S. Arizona Ave., Yuma, Ariz. 85364, (928) 539-6840, jmoreno@yumasun.com.