Northcraft, Miller take on new advertising roles with newspapers
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PARKERSBURG -- Two members of the advertising departments within The Marietta Times and The Parkersburg News and Sentinel have new roles, according to publisher Jim Spanner.
Lisa Northcraft has been promoted to advertising director of the papers while Mary Jo Miller moves into the role of advertising manager.
Northcraft will also oversee the advertising for Graffiti and Parent Magazine, publications of Ogden Newspapers.
Northcraft started in advertising with the newspapers' parent company in 1997 as an ad representative with the Tyler Star News before becoming the advertising manager of the Star News and the Wetzel Chronicle. In 2006, The Green Tab was added under her direction as ad manager.
She came to the Parkersburg and Marietta newspapers as advertising manager in 2016.
Northcraft has a total 19 years experience with Ogden newspapers, and lives in Friendly. She has been married 34 years to David Northcraft, and they have two sons, Alex and Curtis; and four grandchildren: Caitlyn, William, Lauren and Colton.
Northcraft wants "the ad department to be part of the community and to get to know it," she said. "I'd like to see us get more involved with the business community and civic organizations. I want us to get out there and let everyone know we are here, but be part of the community as well."
Miller began her career at the News and Sentinel in 2005 "doing free ads in the classified section of the paper," she said. "I had no computer knowledge at the time, but took computer classes at night at Hamilton Middle School (at that time it was Hamilton Junior High School). I did two sessions of that for 12 weeks."
Since those early years, she has advanced to doing classified advertising and into selling Graffiti advertising.
"I started selling the Graffiti advertising and loved it," she said. "I found I had a knack for sales."
She moved into employment sales before becoming classified manager and job fairs coordinator.
Miller has two daughters, Bobby Jo and Karen; and four grandchildren: Addison, Emmalynn, Nicklaus and Coltin.
Miller said her goal is similar to Northcraft's: "I'm looking to build the interaction between the paper and the community."
In fact, Spanner said the two will be instrumental in expanding the many projects the newspapers do to benefit the communities of which they are a part, from job fairs to spelling bees, books and special publications to road races, there are many ways in which the News and Sentinel and Marietta Times serve their readers and all Mid-Ohio Valley residents.
"The energy and experience these two bring to the table will enhance that relationship, as well as our ability to serve the specific needs of the business community," Spanner said.