The Chronicle has hired Rachael Landi, a veteran sales professional and well-known figure in the southern Willamette Valley’s business leadership circles, as its Sales & Marketing Director. Her first day was Monday, March 6.
“Rachael’s hiring represents one of the biggest steps our company has made since its inception,” said owner/publisher Noel Nash. “Her leadership, knowledge of the area, interpersonal skills, and commitment to hyper-local coverage have her well-positioned to help local businesses get their message out to our communities.”
Landi, a Pennsylvania native who moved to Oregon in 2015, has worked extensively in the insurance, mortgage, and event industries. She most recently was at Mann Mortgage, and before that spent four years with Farmers Insurance in Eugene as an insurance agent and producer.
She sought and found myriad sales and customer-service opportunities early in her career, simultaneously juggling roles as a sales and events coordinator, a bartender, in food service, video lottery service, bowling alley mechanics, coffee barista, arcade and mini-golf attendant at Lakeshore Lanes in Albany, Ore. She also sold office supplies as well as online car sales and timeshare memberships in Daytona Beach, Fla.
The Chronicle plays to her business experience and presents new challenges, she said.
“This was an opportunity of a lifetime sent down from the universe herself …. and maybe Nathan Gricks of War Pony Exteriors for the introduction,” she said. “Being able to run with all of my ideas and be supported by an unimaginably inspiring team everyday has been an absolute dream come true. I’m excited to see how far we can go together. ”
She distinguished herself in the interview process with her creativity and idea generation, two traits local businesses will find valuable in crafting messages to 90,000 people living in small towns and rural areas within 30 minutes of Eugene.
Besides the weekly newspaper delivered each Thursday, The Chronicle has a website, chronicle1909.com, robust social media pages on Facebook and Instagram with video, and publishes a variety of magazines throughout the year. Its newsletter, sent three times a week to readers’ email inboxes, has a more than 40% open rate; the industry standard is around 30%.
The Chronicle has been available in all Dari Mart stores from Springfield to Cottage Grove since October 2022. “Rachael’s not just a salesperson; we’ve hired someone into a senior leadership role. With our executive editor, Erin Tierney-Heggenstaller, Rachael, and our recent deal with Dari Mart for distribution, it feels like we have a strong wind at our back,” Nash said.
The Chronicle, first published in 1909, was named the 2022 Business of the Year by the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce. It has earned more than 40 awards from the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association in three years. The paper covers the people and events of Springfield, Creswell, Cottage Grove, and Pleasant Hill.