Greene County Messenger, Jan. 13

Greene County Messenger GM Morris leaves for new position

Greene County Messenger General Manager Daniel V. Morris recently left the newspaper to accept a position with Yellow Book USA.

Morris served as GM for the past three years, but his connection to the newspaper goes back to the newspaper's humble beginnings.

"The Greene County Messenger was my life," Morris said. "My father [Daniel I. Morris] and Jim Moore started the paper in the summer of 1990, and we never looked back. It was a great run."

In 2002, his father sold the Messenger to Uniontown Newspapers, Inc., which publishes the Herald-Standard and is owned by Calkins Media.

"Herald-Standard Publisher Val Laub and Calkins Media CEO Gary Shorts had the confidence in my ability to run the Messenger," Morris said. "I will always be grateful for the opportunity they extended to me."

Morris said the desire to improve the paper was a priority for him and the staff.

"My goal was to continually improve the product, and to make it the premiere news source for Greene County," he said.

Morris also attributed personnel and content changes to the paper's continuing success.

"A new editor, new advertising sales staff and improvements to content over the past three years have sparked a renewed excitement in the Messenger by readers and local businesses," he said.

Earlier this month, Morris announced that he was leaving to accept a position with Yellow Book.

"A new, exciting career opportunity became available, and I made a decision to leave the work that I have loved for so long," he said. "It was a very personal decision for me to move into a new career with Yellow Book USA. In fact, Val Laub and Associate Publisher John Voytek wished me the best in my new position."

Laub and Voytek expressed their gratitude for Morris's years of service.

"I want to thank Dan for his years of dedication to the Messenger, and we wish him the very best in his new position," Laub said.

Although Morris will be missed, the newspaper's goals will remain unchanged.

"The Greene County Messenger will continue its commitment to providing the most thorough and comprehensive coverage of Greene County news that you won't find anywhere else," Voytek said.

The Messenger wishes Dan Morris the best of luck in all of his future endeavors.