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FROM STAFF REPORTS

Boone Newsmedia, Inc. has named Alec Etheredge as the media company’s newest vice president.

The announcement was shared within the organization on Thursday, Aug. 15, as Etheredge joins a Boone management team that currently includes CEO Steve Stewart, Senior Vice President Catherine Boone and Chief Financial Officer Jay Davis, all working to continue the vision set forth by founder Jim Boone, who sadly passed away in 2023.

Boone Newsmedia, Inc. has 24 community media companies in seven states: 11 in Alabama, including Shelby County Newspapers, three in Virginia, three in North Carolina, three in Minnesota, two in Mississippi and one each in Georgia and Michigan.

“Alec is one of our brightest young leaders who has earned this opportunity through excellent leadership of our affiliates in Shelby County and Clanton, Alabama,” said Steve Stewart, BNI’s president and CEO. “We are excited about what he will contribute to our leadership team.”

“This is an opportunity that I don’t take lightly,” Etheredge said. “To uphold the legacy of BNI and the standard set by its publications is an exciting task that I will strive to accomplish every day. We have incredible operations with strong leadership across the company, which paves the way for a successful future.”

He also added that he is excited to be a part of a leadership team at BNI tasked with the challenges of keeping true local journalism important in the modern media world.

“The news media world is everchanging, but especially in the modern climate with what is currently available,” Etheredge said. “I am excited to work with our management team to combat that and continue bringing local journalism to each of our communities. What makes us successful is the personal touch we can have with our communities to make them feel appreciated and special. We can continue to do that through all of our print publications, while growing with various other platforms.”

“It’s an honor to work with someone in Alec who understands how a newspaper can be a vehicle to make one’s community a better place,” Hadaway said. “Alec has a track record of being personally involved in his communities and in the operations of our newspapers, setting an example in how to lead one’s team to success. While I am excited for BNI to have Alec as part of our leadership team, I am most excited for the communities we serve. I look forward to working with him and Steve in supporting our employees as we honor our mission of making a difference through local journalism.”

Etheredge, a 2016 graduate of the University of Alabama, has been with Boone Newsmedia, Inc. since 2016, starting at the Shelby County Reporter with Shelby County Newsmedia, Inc.

He started as a staff writer during the summer of his final semester at Alabama, covering cities throughout Shelby County as well as areas of Chilton County for the Clanton Advertiser.

In the fall of 2016, he took over as the sports reporter and was promoted to sports editor a year later in 2017. During that time, he managed sports coverage for the company’s five weekly papers and digital platforms.

Etheredge took over as SCNI’s managing editor in 2020, leading the newsroom through the COVID-19 pandemic and managing day-to-day operations of the editorial staff.

During his time in the newsroom, he wrote a record number of APA-winning pieces for the paper in both news and sports, while the team continued a longstanding tradition of winning the APA’s General Excellence award—a streak now at 18 years in a row.

In July 2022, he was named general manager to fill the shoes of Daniel Holmes.

Etheredge has led the day-to-day operations of SCNI since, which includes one of Boone Newsmedia’s largest call centers, a design center, a dedicated sales team and a newsroom now handling three weekly papers, six magazines and much more.

He was named Publisher and President of Shelby County Newspapers, Inc. in December 2023, adding Clanton Newspapers, Inc. under his umbrella in January of this year. He will retain leadership of both publications in his new role.

“It takes a lot of hard work, but a staff that continues to go above and beyond is the only way you are successful,” he said. “I am excited to continue watching both Shelby County and Clanton flourish, while also learning more about other operations and their success. I will continue to strive to make sure that we are doing everything in our power as a team to put the best out for the people in our communities.”

Etheredge and his wife Sabrina are residents of Chelsea, Alabama and will celebrate six years of marriage together on Sept. 29. They are expecting their first child in December and have one chocolate and one black lab already in the family.

“My wife and I are grateful to be part of the BNI family and look forward to many incredible years to come,” Etheredge said. “Sabrina has been an incredible support to get me where I am today. Her selflessness has allowed me to put a lot of energy into this company.”