MIDDLEBURY — More family is joining the Addison Press Inc. media company that publishes the Addison Independent and several other media entities.
Elsie Lynn Parini, 28, will be joining her sisters, Christy, 30, and Polly, 31, in the family multi-media business in Middlebury that publishes the twice-weekly Addison Independent, The Reporter (serving Brandon, Pittsford, Proctor and West Rutland), the weekly Mountain Times of Killington/Rutland, Freedom Publications (which publishes six phone books in central and southern Vermont), two magazines (Vermont Sports and Vermont Ski & Ride Magazine), is a partner with Localvore Today and has a growing interest in web design, digital services and social media solutions. The president of the company is Angelo Lynn, who has owned the business since 1984.
Lynn’s wife, Lisa Gosselin, who is stepping down from her 20-month post as Vermont Commissioner of Economic Development, is also joining the family business to become publisher and managing editor of the magazines, and help manage the growing digital and social media aspects of the business.
“We have more opportunities as a media company to help businesses reach their customers than ever before,” publisher Angelo Lynn said, “but it takes creative energy, market savvy and dedication to helping local businesses thrive. Elsie and Lisa bring those skills, and we’re looking forward to broadening our services by partnering through events, social media and other business-to-business avenues.”
Parini, who graduated from Middlebury Union High School in 2005 and Colorado College in 2009, has been working at the family’s newspapers in Chittenden County — theEssex Reporter and Colchester Sun — since 2010, most recently as editor for the past three years. She said she is eager for the new challenge.
“After five years at those papers, I’m eager to work more closely with my sisters and family in Addison and Killington, and that’s too exciting to pass up,” she said. Parini will serve as business manager and assistant publisher developing business-to-business partnerships and events, as well as helping businesses with social and digital media solutions.
Gosselin, who was formerly the editor of EatingWell magazine, and spent 25 years working as an editor of several other national magazines such as Ski, Biking, Leisure, Yachting and Audubon, will lead the company’s magazine and special products division, as well as help develop marketing and branding campaigns for advertisers of the various publications.
Gosselin also said she hopes to strengthen the brand of the group of newspapers that are jointly owned by the Lynn family. Emerson and Suzanne Lynn (brother and sister-in-law to Angelo) own the daily St. Albans Messenger and weekly Milton Independent. As a group of newspapers called the Champlain Valley Newspaper Group, they represent seven newspapers in the Champlain Valley from the Canadian border to Rutland County serving more than 150,000 readers each week, in addition to the monthly statewide magazines.
“It’s a growing business that has a lot of potential,” Gosselin said. “It’s exciting to join forces with Elsie, Christy and Polly, as well as Emerson and Suzanne and my husband, Angelo, to take the company to the next level. It’s not a family that sits around waiting for things to happen; it’ll be fun, but also a challenge to help the business expand into new areas and serve the Vermont business community.”
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Maria Archangelo will replace Parini at the Essex Reporter and Colchester Sun as the editor and co-publisher.
“Bringing Maria on as our editor/co-publisher at Essex and Colchester adds a great deal of journalistic experience and proven business savvy to our operations there,” Angelo Lynn said. “We’re thrilled Maria has joined the team and look forward to building a strong network of digital, print and social media services in Chittenden County and throughout the Champlain Valley to help area businesses reach their markets, while also keeping residents informed about their communities.”
Archangelo, 48, worked as publisher at the award-winning Stowe Reporter from 2006 to 2012, during which time the Reporter was named Newspaper of the Year for Vermont and New England several times and Archangelo was named Serious Columnist of the Year by the New England Newspaper and Press Association twice. She and her husband, Tom Kearney, who is editor of the Stowe Reporter and Waterbury Record, have lived in Montpelier since 2003.
She grew up in Philadelphia and has worked as a journalist for more than 25 years at various publications including the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Baltimore Sun and was previously editor of the Barre-Montpelier Times Argus. She is a past president of the Vermont Press Association and the New England Society of Newspaper Editors.
“Our mission and business strategy has always been to produce quality content with integrity at our newspapers to attract committed and loyal readers, and Maria’s background, quality work and years of experience in the industry fit our companies perfectly,” Lynn said. “She’ll be a terrific asset in the Chittenden County market, and we’re also looking forward to working with her and sharing ideas between all of our media companies. Both Lisa and Maria are powerhouse leaders that will help us grow and serve our customers in what is an exciting time for multi-media businesses.”
“I am thrilled to be joining Lynn Publications, and the larger group with Emerson and Angelo,” Archangelo said. “It’s a company that truly cares about its readers and advertisers and is always striving for excellence and innovation as they have demonstrated over the past three-plus decades.”
“Great things are happening at this company,” she added, “and I am so grateful to be a part of it.”