Daily Herald Media Group employees honored for extra efforts during transition year

In a year that saw Daily Herald Media Group make numerous changes in various departments, several staff members were honored for their efforts in guiding colleagues and customers through those transitions.

The sale of the printing center, a technology upgrade and relocation of the company's headquarters were just some of the challenges undertaken and successfully accomplished by the staff this year. The leadership and selflessness several employees exhibited during those changes were highlighted during the company's recent annual awards of excellence.

Here are the winners announced late last week.

Kay Long, Senior Niche Editor: Long has worn many hats during her 27-year tenure with Daily Herald Media Group, and this is not the first time she's been honored by the company for her work.

This year, she received accolades for her leadership in the newsroom and other production areas addressing a hardware malfunction. Having encountered this issue a few years earlier, Long had kept notes and files in place in case the company ever encountered such an issue again.

"It really caused us a lot of grief and we had to figure out how to publish outside of our normal operating procedure," said Jim Baumann, vice president and Daily Herald executive editor. "Kay had dutifully filed away all sorts of important information on workarounds."

Vic Millan, IT Network Administrator: Another longtime employee who's been recognized for going above and beyond in the past, Millan was responsible for fixing the company's hardware issue earlier in the year. Those efforts helped the company seamlessly produce the Daily Herald and other products.

"He's instrumental to the help desk and has done that for quite some time, but that's not his real job actually," said Stu Paddock senior vice president of information and digital technology. "He's cheering (everyone) on, and he's doing whatever he can to help all find success in every department."

Millan is a 36-year employee of the company.

Chuck Keeshan, Assistant Managing Editor: During his 26-year career in the Daily Herald newsroom, Keeshan has covered or edited almost every type of story imaginable. Despite his workload as an editor, he continues to write frequently, including the popular "Cops and Crime" column every Friday he co-authors with Susan Sarkauskas. Baumann praised Keeshan for his newsroom leadership and willingness to help in any way he can.

"Chuck is an example of how you can take an editor out of a reporting team, but you can never take the reporter out of the editor," Baumann said.

Sara Zawila, Human Resources Generalist: Zawila helped with the transition of employees when the Daily Herald Media Group sold its printing center earlier this year.

"Every year seems to bring a new challenge for us in HR to work on," said Heather Ritter, vice president of human resources. "She was going to make sure (employees) were taken care of."

Zawila has been with the company for six years.

Wayne Gebis, Circulation Manager: Gebis had worked in sales for a number of years before being promoted to his new role. In the last year, the circulation department also transitioned to a new operating system under Gebis' watch. His guidance allowed that transition to occur smoothly and he also oversaw the implementation of a new customer service system.

"He has stepped up to the plate every step of the way," said Colin O'Donnell, senior vice president of operations and strategic initiatives. "He's always willing to change and adapt to new realities."

Susan Hampton, Advertising Services Coordinator for Town Square Publications: One of the company's newest employees, Hampton has been with Daily Herald Media Group for a year. She was praised for her leadership and willingness to take on new challenges, while assisting colleagues learn new systems and protocols.

"Her professionalism and eagerness to learn makes her so worthy," said Scott Ray, vice president and general manager of Town Square Publications. "We threw a lot at her in the last year."

Brian Dodd, Mailroom Supervisor, Virden Production: Dodd has worked with the company for seven years. His kindness and caring for customers and colleagues were cited as key components for his recognition this year. Dodd's supervisors said his ability to take on new challenges and make it look effortless also were significant.

"He runs a tight ship but is a natural born leader," said Stefanie Anderson, senior vice president and general manager of Southern Illinois LOCAL Media Group. "He's earned the respect of the people he works with due to his commitment to doing the job right and the pride in the products coming out of the mailroom."