The journey began in September 2005, when owners John and Jennifer Garrett launched the first edition of the paper in the towns of Pflugerville and Round Rock. They turned their home game room into an office and brought on three full-time employees to help them run the publishing business. Six years later, there are now more than 70 employees in offices across the state.
John’s local news vision expanded beyond the borders of Pflugerville and Round Rock. Motivated by the success of their newspaper, the Garretts expanded over the next few years, growing the company’s portfolio to eight papers in central Texas.
The company continued to extend its reach with the launch of Northwest Houston editions in 2009 and again in 2011, delivering local news to the Cypress- Fairbanks area, Tomball and Magnolia, and Woodlands. In March 2011, the expansion to the Dallas/Fort Worth area meant local news delivery to Grapevine, Colleyville, and Southlake.
In 2010, Inc. magazine named Community Impact Newspaper the fasting-growing media company in Texas. Each newspaper is a hyperlocal business journal for the average citizen, breaking down complex economic development issues, transportation projects, and city council meetings while reporting on small businesses, real estate developments, education, health care, and other key news and issues that affect the community.
“As our paper continues to grow and our outlets multiply, we will continue to pride ourselves on the motto we’ve had from the beginning: ‘Local. Useful. Everyone Gets It,’” John Garrett said in a release. It looks like the readers and advertisers would agree.