Michael S. Blanton
PO Box 1439
Tarboro, NC 27886
252-903-5424 (Cell)
252-823-8119 (Home)
A career in the communications media has been both personally gratifying and fulfilling. The sales and marketing and community activity experience gleaned from this career makes me a valuable asset to the ongoing profits and prosperity of an organization. Through media publishing, I have worked directly with individuals and also Fortune 500 companies and all levels in between.
My career has included Director of Circulation of several small and mid-sized dailies and Publisher of weeklies, tri-weeklies and dailies. These publications have included both paid and free distribution products. They have included single and multiple office locations under my direct supervision. Some of the avenues of revenue have included niche publications, slick magazine products, hard bound books and web presses with commercial printing, sheet fed operations, office and gift supplies, Internet and TMC products. More recently electronic social interaction has become a key component of marketing.
During the period 2005-2009, I worked for CNHI at the Tarboro, NC location as Publisher. Revenue for our core products during that period of time has weakened; so much of this revenue gain has been in non-traditional means such as niche publications, new special sections and Internet. This has allowed us to make budgeted revenues and net profit in 2006 and 2007 and budgeted net profit in 2008.
Since 2009, I have worked in the life, health and annuity fields in insurance sales as an independent agent working with both individuals and companies.
My prior employment and resume is listed below:
Employment
2009-Current Commissioned Insurance Sales Agent
From 2010 to current; Physicians Mutual selling Medicare Supplements, life, Annuities and dental plans.
From 2009 to 2010 Bankers Life and Casualty selling primarily life insurance plans
2004-2009 PUBLISHER, Tarboro NC. Products found at this location include The Daily Southerner, a five-day M-F 4,000 afternoon daily; a 5,050 TMC (Target Marketed) free weekly named Edgecombe Review, www.dailysoutherner.com web site, a 5,500 distribution niche, monthly, slick magazine named Welcome to Tarboro which began in 2005; and Edgecombe County Kidsville News, a 5,500 tab which began in 2006. In 2007, we added Nash County Kidsville News with a circulation of 9300. Kidsville News is distributed to all kindergarten through fifth grade students in Edgecombe and Nash counties. A recent edition added was Welcome to Nash. A slick magazine, Welcome to Nash was profitable from the first issue.
1999-2004: PUBLISHER, of a six-weekly newspaper cluster. Their flags include Kings Mountain (NC) Herald, Cherryville (NC) Eagle, Belmont (NC) Banner, Mount Holly (NC) News, Bessemer City (NC) Record, and the Shelby (NC) Post. These newspapers had three individual offices. This group of weeklies was owned by Republic Newspapers, Inc. These weeklies had a total of 17,000 paid circulation.
99-99: CIRCULATION DIRECTOR, Gastonia, NC. This seven-day am paper had a paid circulation of 35,000. It is a Freedom Newspaper. The primary reason for relocation to Gastonia was a result of my father-in-law’s illness in Kings Mountain.
98-99: GENERAL MANAGER/ADVERTISING MANAGER, Hillsborough, NC and the Mebane Enterprise in Mebane, NC. These 5,600 paid weeklies were part of Womack Publishing. These two papers were located at two locations.
85-98: A variety of locations for Worrell Enterprises. This group was sold to a variety of owners.
PUBLISHER of The Avery Journal in Newland, NC. This was a 7,800 weekly with an accompanying TMC product.
PUBLISHER of The News Journal in Radford, VA and The News Messenger in Christiansburg, VA. These were converted from afternoon 6-day dailies to AM. Later we converted to a thrice weekly voluntary pay combo publication known as THE NEWS. We also had a TMC product at the Christiansburg location and produced more than $400,000 in annual commercial printing revenue. These locations had revenues in excess of $5,000,000. This location was sold to a local concern that took over the operation. The circulations for these two dailies were more than 12,000.
PUBLISHER of Clinch Valley News in Tazewell, VA and Richlands News-Press in Richlands, VA. These two weeklies combined for 8,000 paid along with a TMC product. This location had commercial printing on a Goss community press.
PUBLISHER of the Herald-Tribune in Batesville, IN. This 4,500 weekly also had a sheet fed operation and gift shop.
CIRCULATION DIRCTOR for the Bluefield Daily Telegraph. This was a 25,000 am seven-day daily.
Education
Kings Mountain High School graduate
Gaston Community College General Studies
NC State University BA Marketing
Professional Development
Attended API Circulation offering
Presenter API Cost Management session
Presenter API Circulation session
Numerous committees and positions in the Virginia Press Association and the North Carolina Press Association
Current board member of Eastern NC Press Association and NC Press Ad Committee.
Attitudes in Action series
Dale Carnegie series
Early Risers (Blacksburg, VA) Toastmasters past president
Toastmasters’ regional speech winner
One of only two Raleigh Division agents win the award to attend National Convention based on sales results in 2011.
Missed attending Convention in 2012 by less than $1500
Achieved Pacesetter levels at both Bankers and Physicians Mutual as a new agent.
Community Service
Past-president of the 450-member Greater Blacksburg (VA) Chamber of Commerce
Board member of the Blacksburg (VA), Orange County (NC), and Tazewell County (VA) chambers of commerce
Economic Development Commission vice chair in Avery County (NC)
Member of Tazewell County (VA) EDC
Member of Executive Council of New River Valley (VA) EDC
Past members of several fraternity service organizations such as Kiwanis, Lions and Rotary
Deacon in Baptist Church
Leadership New River Valley (VA) participant
Leadership New River Valley (VA) coordinator
Co-chair of the Mountain Rest Cemetery Bell Tower construction project. (NC)
Board member of the 250th anniversary planning committee for Tarboro
Family
Married to the former Susan Wilson.
Have a single adult daughter, Jennifer Blanton DiMeo who resides in Raleigh, NC with her husband and their two children.
References
Available upon request.