About Us
Our founder and CEO, Jeffrey S. Jobe grew up in North Eastern Kentucky and attended the University of Kentucky in Lexington.
His education and campus involvement helped him secure a management trainee position at the Courier-Journal and Louisville Times Company. In 1985 this newspaper was owned by the Bingham family and Mr Jobe was one of five individuals hand picked by Publisher Barry Bingham, Jr.
He worked for the Bingham family newspaper until they sold to Gannett Newspapers at which time Jobe took a position at Gannett’s flagship, the Democrat and Chronicle in Rochester, New York.
He advanced inside the Circulation and Marketing management side of newspapering and left Rochester for tours of employment with The Journal Register Company, and Thomson Newspapers. Those years had him traveling throughout the United States for short stays and actual relocation to Ohio, West Virginia and Florida.
He often speaks of his ride inside the corporate world as a wonderful experience and in many ways a good fit until he was blessed with the birth of his son Donald Wyatt Jobe in 1995.
With a three year old son he found himself in the middle of a massive downsizing storm where corporate officers like himself were being targeted for termination. All Thomson’s state-side newspapers were being sold with little regard to employees and their families along the way.
Jobe credits the idea of buying a newspaper to his then father-In-law Donald Lorenz. Lorenz was a successful businessman back home in Kentucky and could see how the travel was affecting his grandson and his parents.
On the eve of Jobe flying for a second interview for a position as Vice President of Circulation for the Los Angeles Times, Lorenz suggested he stay home in Kentucky and start his own newspaper company instead of continuing to run everyone else’s.
On Christmas Eve, 1997, Jobe got approval from banker Chester Porter for a loan In the amount of $360,000 for the partial purchase of the Butler County Banner and Green River Republican Newspaper in Morgantown, Kentucky.
On February 1, 1998, the Jobe’s took ownership of this newspaper through the creation of Jobe Publishing, Inc.
Since that time Jeff Jobe not only grew his family with the addition of two daughters Reagan and McKenna but corporately as well. Jobe Publishing to now own seven countywide newspapers in Allen, Barren, Butler, Cumberland, Edmonson, Hart, Metcalfe, and Russell. These newspapers in their own right have rich century old histories and once boasted their own corporate identities.
With rising printing costs Jobe saw a need to assure themselves a controllable printed product so in 2003 they purchased the commercial printing operation of the Cave Country Print Shop. This 30,000 square foot facility houses a complete state-of-the-art book, magazine and newspaper publishing and commercial print company.
Jeff Jobe has always believed the heart of hometown America lies inside our downtown communities and because of this belief with each newspaper purchase he also acquired buildings, and other real estate holdings in each of the seven communities JPI serves.
While other newspaper companies feel threatened by technology or has begun to surrender; Jobe Publishing has chose to embrace the Internet and its opportunities. With Jobe’s online e-edition, 10 social media outlets and growing paid readership base more than 50,000 household are touched each and every week with local news, and advertising distributed by the family owned business of Jobe Publishing, Inc.