About CEO News
CEO News, through our national web site CEOnews.com, serves business owners, community leaders and government officials with daily content. CEO News owns over 200 web sites in cities across America like BuffaloCEO.com, ArlingtonCEO.com and TampaCEO.com. These sites contain daily content localized for business executives in these cities.
Our Story
The idea for CEO News began with Randy Davidson, our founder, in early 2010. He lives in Albany, Georgia, a city of about 100,000 people. While searching for information about local businesses in Albany, he realized that there was very little media coverage of area companies. The main media outlets, a local daily newspaper and two affiliate television stations, were focused mostly on sports, weather, crime and social events.
Davidson proceeded with a simple idea. What if there was a web site in Albany that published news, articles and videos exclusively about businesses each day? Would local companies support the site by advertising?
In April 2010, Albany CEO launched. Albany CEO publishes national, state and local business news and features local companies in interviews and videos. Numerous local companies have reached out to support Albany CEO through sponsorships.
Nearly 2,000 executives subscribe to the daily CEO Briefing, an email newsletter with a summary of the top news and features for the day. Many of the area’s leading companies advertise on Albany CEO to reach top executives in the area. Albany CEO became profitable within 3 months and would become the model for other cities.
With solid evidence that hyperlocal business-to-business web sites would work in certain markets, Davidson and his business partners acquired nearly 1,000 domain names. Two other beta sites were launched in 2010 to further test the concept – Newport Beach CEO in California and Bend CEO in Oregon. The partners worked throughout 2010 and into 2011 to build the platform and refine the model to serve business owners in these markets.
CEOnews.com is the home site serving executives nationally with business news and analysis. CEOnews.com is supported by over 200 local web sites in cities across America. By 2012, we expect to be in nearly 1,000 cities.
Our Executive Team
Randy Davidson, CEO
Randy works with the executive team to set the direction of CEO News. His primary role is strategizing with partners, investors and national sponsors. Randy has spent the last 11 years as CEO and founder of six online media companies in the food, careers, agriculture, printing and publishing industries. His primary interest is within digital media with extensive experience in sales, marketing and content strategy. Randy lives in Albany, Georgia.
Eric Vessels, President
Eric works with the operations team to implement CEO News’ strategy and guides the daily operations of the sites within the network. His responsibilities include content development, partner relations, and strategic direction. Eric has spent the last 9 years as partner, COO, and President of several online media ventures in the B2B space and politics. His primary focus has been building online engagement in niche content-driven communities. Eric lives in Delaware, Ohio.
Cory Smith, COO
Cory Smith oversees all operational activities at CEO News. His primary responsibilities include managing content providers, advertising management, and site analytics. Since 2007, Cory has been a partner in several companies involved with online community development and publishing. Cory lives in Bend, Oregon.
Adam Dewitz, CTO
Adam provides vision and leadership on technology, architecture and management. His responsibilities include software development, technical operations, business planning, and strategic partner relations. He has been a partner in three other online media companies. Adam holds a masters degree in Print Media from Rochester Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Science degree in Graphic Communications Management from the University of Wisconsin-Stout. Adam lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Vincent Naselli, EVP of Business Development
Vince leads our sales and marketing efforts working with Fortune 500 companies to develop promotional partnerships that reach business owners within our communities. Vince comes to CEO News with over 15 years of experience in the media and communications industries. Prior positions include business development, marketing and sales management with organizations such as Agfa, WhatTheyThink, Screen USA and as executive director of TrendWatch, a market research organization owned by Reed Elsevier. Vince was a director and member of numerous industry committees and his hands-on knowledge of manufacturers and technologies provide insight to market opportunities and challenges companies face. Vince lives in Somerset, New Jersey.
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