David Greenhill Acquires Middleburg Life

Northern Virginia Media Services has sold Middleburg Life, a monthly tabloid newspaper, to satellite communications titan and local winery owner David Greenhill. Dirks, Van Essen & Murray, a merger and acquisition firm based in Santa Fe, N.M., advised HPR in the sale. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. The transaction comes one month after Northern Virginia Media Services sold Leesburg Today and Ashburn Today to Virginia News Group, which publishes the Loudoun Times-Mirror. Middleburg Life will continue to publish with editor Vicki Moon and writer Len Shapiro at the helm. Under previous ownership, the paper held a circulation of roughly 16,000, distributed through Leesburg Today. Greenhill believes the purchase makes sense both as a business opportunity and as an avenue to deepen his ties in the Middleburg community. The 48-year-old Yale grad says Middleburg Life readers shouldn't expect any significant changes to the print publication, but will likely see an expanded digital presence. Greenhill has become a familiar face in the Middleburg wine, polo and social scene. He purchased the former Swedenburg Estate Winery in 2013 and renamed it Greenhill Winery and Vineyards. In his day job, he is president of Satcom Direct, a global satellite communications firm.