Cheers to 3 Years!

Our Community feature by Sheila Turner-Hilliard

We’re having a party and you’re invited to celebrate with us! That’s right: Our hometown magazine is turning 3 this month! And our latest checkup indicates that we’re strong, healthy and growing nicely, thanks to our dedicated Publisher Bob Blaisse, who had a vision of Bringing People Together in our hometown.

Bob Blaisse, Publisher of Newtown Square Friends & Neighbors

Best Version Media (BVM) publications have been connecting local communities since 2007. It started with the vision of Dave Durand, Pete Ericksen and Paul Lubinski. The trio developed a small handful of magazines in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, area for five years before expanding the business in 2012. Dave now serves as BVM’s Chief Executive Officer; Pete is the company’s Chief Operating Officer; and Paul is their Chief Procurement Officer.

BVM is now one of the fastest-growing companies in the print and digital media industry, and now serves residents and local businesses across the United States and Canada with over 1,000 community magazines in print. In 2020, BVM distributed more than 33 million magazines. That number is expected to continue rising due to BVM’s Mission of Bringing People Together and its post-COVID commitment to helping small businesses grow.

Prior to March 2018, Bob Blaisse had co-founded and helped develop a media business that published designs for signage used by church and school ministries. That business venture had provided the opportunity for Bob to come to know Dave Durand at BVM. In March 2018, Bob called Dave, who immediately asked Bob to join BVM, with the suggestion of a management role that would be better served by Bob after learning the magazine Publisher’s role firsthand. “Dave Durand asked me if I would like to use my first six months to start a BVM magazine in my own hometown,” Bob explained. “Of course, I said, but only if I can launch separate hometown magazines for both Newtown and Marple townships, which have been sister communities developing alongside each other for hundreds of years.”

Dave agreed and Bob set out to find the Charter Advertising Sponsors needed to gain the green light to launch Newtown Square Friends & Neighbors and Marple Friends & Neighbors in August 2018.

When asked what makes our hometown magazine special, Bob was quick to share what every Reader already knows:

Every month, our Newtown Square Friends & Neighbors magazine combines the best elements of social media and print by sharing positive, family-friendly stories, which are Bringing People Together through hometown pride.

In November 2018, we featured the Avellino family: Scott, Mimi, Scott Jr., Maggie and Sarah.

The Avellino Family on the cover of November 2018 Newtown Square Friends & Neighbors

Photo by Mark Strohm of Strohm Photography

Since their family was featured, their son Scott has gone off to college, Maggie will follow next year, and Sarah will graduate from grade school in 2022. This family’s feature article made clear that home is where love is, and almost three years later, they still hold tight to the community they know and love. If you know the Avellinos, you know that love and laughter go hand in hand.

We really didn’t tell anyone about being interviewed for the magazine beforehand so we got lots of calls from family and friends who were surprised when they saw us on the cover,” recalled Mimi. "And we love to be surprised to see who makes the cover each month.

Feature in our August 2019 issue was The Tulskie Family: Patti, Ed and their kids Grace, Muffy and Jack. They all have fond memories of the experience, and love reading the magazine each month.

The Tulskie Family featured in August 2019 Newtown Square Friends & Neighbors

Photo by Shannon Lynn Photography www.ShannonLynnPhotography.com

Those are great memories!” said Patti Tulskie. “We had never had a professional photo taken of our family so that was a nice experience, especially with our dog Tucker in it. And having our photos taken at our favorite staycation spot, St. Albans Swim & Tennis Club, made it extra-special.

Patti also said that when we asked if we could include in their feature article how she and Ed had met, they enjoyed the opportunity to reminisce about that. “It was a fun walk down Memory Lane,” Patti said fondly.

I always knew how much I loved living in Newtown Square," said Patti, "and after reading our family’s story, I became even prouder of our community!

For the Thiruselvam Family, being featured in our February 2021 issue was fun. Gira, David and the kids were excited to see their story in print. “We thought we were boring,” Gira laughed, “until we read the article that proved our lives are a lot more interesting than we had considered.”

The Thiruselvam Family on the cover of February 2021 Newtown Square Friends & Neighbors

Photo by Sierra Clark Photography www.SierraClark.com

Gira said they really enjoy reading the magazine each month.

We are friends with a few of the families who have been on the cover," Gira said, "but we love getting to know more about other families in our wonderful community.

In addition to featuring local families, Newtown Square Friends & Neighbors also spotlights local celebrities, entrepreneurs, authors and volunteers. Every month, you’ll also find local events and the latest news on what’s happening around Newtown Square.

What lies ahead for our hometown magazine? Perhaps a Sports section to complement our new www.BVMSports.com website, which reports on local sports from PeeWee to Pro. As our Publisher Bob Blaisse often says, our advertising Sponsors will help us decide. They made it possible for Newtown Square to have a hometown magazine in print and online at www.NewtownSquareMag.com. As our number of Sponsors has grown, so has our magazine page count, which in turn has allowed us to add more Expert Contributors, whom Readers have come to know and trust for their hometown expertise.

SPECIAL MOMENTS CAPTURED

Sierra Clark Photography www.SierraClarkPhoto.com