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WHEELING — When it comes to manufacturing, perhaps no single business in Wheeling creates as many products each day as we do at The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register.
Early each morning, tens of thousands of newspapers come rolling off the printing press at the Ogden Newspapers Printing and Technology Center here in Wheeling, ready to be delivered to your doorstep. But it's not just the physical newspaper that's produced -- there also is the digital aspect of the operation that attracts tens of thousands of additional readers daily through the newspapers' website, theintelligencer.net, and our sister publication, timesleaderonline.com.
A trio of young professionals -- Managing Editor Derek Redd, Sports Editor Seth Staskey and senior web developer Jeremy Johns -- are three of the main cogs in making sure both ends of that production work each day.
They are among a group of young professionals here in the Ohio Valley working to make life better for all of us.
Derek Redd
In the news business, there's no such thing as a typical day. For someone like Redd, a workday involves everything from meeting with reporters, to attending community events, to photographing life in our region and then helping decide story placement both in the newspaper and on its website. He takes it all in stride with the understanding that the Ohio Valley comes first.
"Regardless of what each day brings, our goal is to tell the Ohio Valley's story," Redd said.
He is a graduate of Wheeling Park High School and West Virginia University who worked in Charleston prior to returning to Wheeling in November 2020. He lives by a motto he learned from his father, a longtime educator and school administrator in this region: "Do your job. It's simple, but it says a lot. Whatever your role is, no matter how big or small, make sure you do your job the best you can."
Returning home has been a blessing for Redd and his family. "I couldn't pass up the opportunity to help guide news coverage in the city in which I grew up. I also couldn't pass up the chance to get closer to home and to family after being so far away for so long.
"Now that I'm back, I see so much that I took for granted. Oglebay Park is a gem so few communities have. My kids have so many opportunities in the arts. My son has learned to play hockey, acted on stage and gotten a deeper understanding and respect for art. This is a fantastic place to raise a family."
Redd also appreciates living in a region that is reinventing itself.
"New businesses, new shops and new restaurants are popping up with regularity. New apartment buildings are climbing to the sky in downtown Wheeling, and the Downtown Streetscape Project is finally getting rolling. ... I remember what former Marshall football coach Doc Holliday would often say: there is no standing still. You're either getting better or getting worse because, if you're stationary, everyone behind you is working to surpass you. The Ohio Valley is dedicated to getting better."
Along with his community service as a newspaper editor, Redd also serves on the board of directors of Easterseals and is a Wheeling Vintage Raceboat Regatta committee member.
Jeremy Johns
For Jeremy Johns, a day at work can range from something as simple as troubleshooting a technical issue or as encompassing as creating a new website or digital offering.
Johns is a senior web developer and one of the chief designers of theintelligencer.net, timesleaderonline.com or other sister websites in the region.
Johns said he loves the challenges his position offers, and the unique opportunities it provides.
"Outside of my job, the Ohio Valley keeps me here because I like the small-town vibe with the ability to quickly get to bigger cities such as Pittsburgh or Columbus. ... Family is another huge proponent in the choice to stay local," he said. "When my wife (Meghan, a speech therapist in Belmont County) and I decided to have children, we knew we wanted them to be close to family."
He sees developments such as the Silicon Heartland outside Columbus as having a future benefit for the Ohio Valley -- particularly in the technology sector.
For those looking to enter the workforce, Johns has the following advice: "Don't limit yourself, be persistent and do not let a few 'no's' discourage you. Some job listings will have a lengthy list of experience or knowledge requirements. You do not have to meet all those requirements to apply. Just be honest about what you do and don’t know."
Along with his work for the newspapers and other digital operations, Johns serves as a youth coach for his children, and for more than a decade maintained the Debbie Green 5K website.
"I heard Mike Tomlin once say, 'You better be willing to do unique things in order to expect unique results,' and I think that is true with anything in life," Johns said.
Seth Staskey
With more than three dozen high schools in the newspapers' immediate coverage area, Seth Staskey, The Times Leader's sports editor, has a tall task each day in ensuring local youth receive the coverage they deserve to highlight their athletic endeavors. But Staskey has shown he's more than up to the challenge.
He said each morning he starts with a "seize the day" mentality that includes a strong work ethic and a desire to showcase the best this valley has to offer. It's what he's done for more than two decades since first being hired as a sports writer for The Times Leader.
"What compelled me to stay was the fact that I was doing something I loved in an area I loved and knew very well," he said. "On top of that, I've made great relationships with coaches, athletes, and school officials along the way."
Staskey is passionate about local sports. He can be found nearly every day of the week covering an event. But it's the personal relationships he's made along the way that he cherishes most.
"You know people on a more personal level and get to really form some relationships that start as sports writer and athlete or sports writer and coach, and after they move on in their careers and/or lives, those relationships become friendships," he said.
He's a believer that passion and work ethic are the keys to success in any endeavor, and that being happy with your work is more important than anything else.
Outside of the office, Staskey serves on the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference Hall of Fame Committee, and is a registered softball umpire in both Ohio and West Virginia.
He said another aspect of his work he enjoys is when parents reach out seeking additional copies of an article he's done on his children. "Newspapers such as ours, with a strong community focus and desire to tell the stories that matter, make such an impact on families. I love it when people reach out to get additional copies of a newspaper for a scrapbook. That's what we're all about, making and preserving those memories."