Longtime Paddock Publications executives to retire
Two longtime executives of Paddock Publications Inc., publisher of the Daily Herald and other print and online products, have announced their retirements.
Scott Stone, the company’s president and chief operating officer, and Kent Johnson, the executive vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer, will retire later this spring after more than six decades combined at the suburban Chicago media company.
“Change has become a way of business life in modern newspapering. Scott and Kent helped shape the company through its most dynamic and challenging years,” said Doug Ray, chairman, CEO and publisher. “In the end, they have been key to our digital transformation and the success of the Daily Herald. Through their hard work and dedication, along with many others, the Daily Herald has emerged as one of the country’s newspaper success stories. I know they take pride in looking back through the years and in helping prepare the company for the future.”
After a dozen years as a reporter and newsroom manager for Copley Newspapers, Stone joined the Daily Herald in 1997 as editor and general manager of the Elgin bureau. He rose through the ranks over the next 29 years, becoming a corporate officer and director of sales and business development in 2006, and later was promoted to president and chief operating officer in 2015. He was named to the Paddock board of directors in 2018.
“I was fortunate to join a locally owned, trusted newspaper brand nearly 30 years ago,” Stone said. “I have had wonderful mentors and colleagues, and worked along some of the brightest and hardest working people I have ever met. I will miss the work and the talented team at the Daily Herald.
“I was always proud to work in print journalism, whether as a reporter, editor or on the business side,” Stone continued. “While I’m personally excited for my next chapter in life, I’m equally excited to see how the journalism field will evolve. We must continue the fight for the truth, shedding light on dark areas, and pushing back against those who would label ethical and trusted news sources as fake news.”
Johnson joined Paddock’s accounting department in 1994, first serving as accounting manager, then controller, and then treasurer. He was promoted to executive vice president in 2019, having played a key role in Paddock’s Employee Stock Ownership Plan conversion, and was lead analyst in various acquisitions, including the company’s portfolio of community newspapers in central and southern Illinois.
“Paddock Publications is a unique company with its long history of family and employee ownership,” Johnson said. “I have been extremely fortunate to work for Paddock Publications for more than 30 years. I want to thank all of the talented, dedicated finance staff members, co-workers and business partners who supported me and the company.”
In a staff memo about the upcoming retirements, Ray said both Stone and Johnson had been contemplating their decisions for months. After beginning discussions late last year, they agreed upon a late May/early June retirement time frame, Ray said.