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Dropping a Vowell From the Company Name

2 min read

Heather Baker’s company has a new name, and yes, it’s sort of About You.

Baker announced a couple of weeks ago that the parent company of AY Magazine, the monthly she publishes that once spelled its name out as About You, is now AY Media Group. That’s a change from Vowell Publishing Inc., named for CEO Vicki Vowell.

Baker told Arkansas Business that the name change doesn’t signal a change in ownership. But speculating minds thought she might be buying the company from Vowell, a Harrison native who celebrated 30 years in publishing last year.

“At this time, there’s no change in executive leadership,” Baker said, answering the question but leaving room for future possibilities without elaborating. The name change, she said, intends to capitalize on the AY brand while acknowledging the company’s other titles, including the relaunched monthly Arkansas Money & Politics.

“AY has been branded for over 30 years and has a lot of name recognition,” she said. “Anytime a company grows and evolves, you have to consider the best aspects of the company.

“As we continue to grow, evolve in print and diversify our services as a media company, this decision makes plenty of sense.”

She called AMP a “Forbes-style magazine focusing on business, industry and politics” and noted several annual, twice-a-year and quarterly publications the company also produces.

“AYMG,” she said, “incorporates the well-established AY brand and delivers on the promise that our services are ‘about you,’ the client.” The company is emphasizing services like custom publishing, graphic design, digital engagement consulting, copywriting, photography and web content generation, she said.

Mark Carter, a former Arkansas Business Publishing Group writer and editor and former author of this column, joined the AY Media Group team in July.

An Arkansas Tech University graduate who spent the past several years as a travel writer and freelancer, Carter is now editor of Arkansas Money & Politics. “Mark has been a great addition to AMP, plus he’s a great guy,” Baker said.

Baker, who hails from Jacksonville, had a long collaboration with Publisher Alan Leveritt and Arkansas Times, where she developed Arkansas AutoBuyer, Arkansas Wild and Savvy Kids.

Later she struck out on her own with a title called Drive Arkansas before joining Vowell Inc., which has published publications for the Arkansas Hospital Association and Northwest Arkansas Medical Center.

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