Dear Readers:
A couple of months ago, one of our community members, Kris McDowell, saw our “for sale” ad in the July edition of The Southeast Examiner. She responded and so we began the conversation about selling. A few weeks ago the publication became hers.
Over her years of employment, Kris has worn all the different hats involved in running a newspaper – editing, writing, sales, publishing and communications. She’s also tech savvy. The quality I feel is one of her strongest is her love of this community, the people, businesses, the neighborhoods and all that is happening here.
Thanks to your readership, your input and by supporting our advertisers, you have provided myself and my family with a livelihood for the past twenty-four years as well a the opportunity to be involved with the issues that matter to us in SE. Our connection to this fine community goes deep.
It is with much appreciation and gratitude that I thank our faithful advertisers. Some of you have been with the paper since we began. You are the foundation of the publication. May you continue to support this work as Kris McDowell carries The Southeast Examiner into the future.
Nancy Tannler
Not long ago a friend posted on Facebook, “Tell me something that changed your life.” Nothing immediately popped into my mind so I read what others had posted. One said “Tea and the Pacific Northwest tea culture.” My first thought was that was a silly answer. Then I realized that my answer was actually “craft beer and its culture/community.”
I have to give my then-boyfriend, now-husband credit for introducing me to it, to something that would come to have a huge impact on our lives. Before I met him, I drank beer but didn’t enjoy the flavor. This was the late 1990’s and as the craft beer market began to blossom, so too did our interest in seeking out all it had to offer. We met many like-minded friends through this endeavor and when one of those friends started a craft beer website, he asked me to be a contributor.
In the beginning, our friend’s website content was focused around beer events and my writing was basic. Over time, the website and my writing, evolved to a point where my husband and I actually started our own beer blog. There was no pressure to write on that platform, it was just something fun, and I learned that I enjoyed the exercise and creative outlet of writing.
While the blog grew, so did our interest in relocating from Minnesota to somewhere more temperate that also had a thriving craft beer scene. Much thought and planning went into our cross-country move, culminating in our arrival in Portland nine and a half years ago. We explored our new home, often seeking out places offering craft beer, and were once again embraced by the people that make up the amazing community that seems to surround it, regardless of geography.
In the craft beer mecca that is Portland, I had plenty of fodder for our blog and in the course of meeting many members of the community I came to know the owner/editor of The Oregon Beer Growler. When she asked if I was interested in writing for them, I was flattered but knew this was a higher bar than our blog. Excited, but a bit nervous, I began contributing to the publication, refining my writing and my ability to tailor my voice to the topic and audience.
Earlier this year I saw an ad that The Southeast Examiner was looking for a new owner and I wondered if this might be the opportunity to take what I had developed as a (part-time) writer and turn it into a full-time role. After making an inquiry, I was once again excited and a bit nervous about the possibility of making it a reality.
In the months since that first meeting and subsequently getting to know Nancy and Ted, I am honored to take over the reins of this publication. SE Portland has been our home since we moved here and I hope to do justice to the paper and its community, continuing and building upon what they have created.
Kris McDowell
