Mitch Bettis
Arkansas Business Publishing Group of Little Rock announced Monday that Mitch Bettis, general manager of ABPG and publisher of Arkansas Business, has been named president of the company.
“Mitch has brought publishing expertise and professionalism to ABPG, resulting in an immediate and impressive impact,” said Olivia Farrell, chairman and CEO of ABPG. “Last year ABPG enjoyed its most profitable year in the history of the company. In addition, Mitch has overseen the launch of five new digital products — ArkansasBride.com, LittleRockFamily.com, LittleRockSoiree.com, the Morning Roundup and the Northwest Arkansas e-newsletter — as well as the creation of the new Power Breakfast series. ABPG is fortunate to have his outstanding leadership, and I am honored to have him as the president of ABPG.”
Bettis joined the company on Feb. 25, 2013, as general manager of ABPG and publisher of Arkansas Business.
“It’s a privilege to be a part of the ABPG team,” Bettis said. “I appreciate the honor of being able to serve our readers, advertising partners, employees, shareholders and vendors. Working with Olivia has been a pleasure, and we are optimistic about the future.”
Bettis has more than 30 years of experience in management and publishing. At ABPG, he oversees the daily operations of a company that produces 20 weekly, monthly, semiannual and annual titles, as well as contract publications and websites.
Bettis is also publisher of Arkansas Business, founded in 1984. Arkansas Business covers business news in Arkansas in a weekly print newspaper and daily online at ArkansasBusiness.com.
Before joining ABPG, Bettis worked for GateHouse Media of Fairport, N.Y., overseeing the publicly traded media company’s 19 print and digital products in 10 communities in Arkansas and northern Louisiana. In that role, he led the publishing, editorial and sales efforts of more than 100 staff members.
From 2009-11, he was general manager of GateHouse’s Lake Media operations in central Missouri, leading sales and operations for 26 print and digital publications.
A 1990 graduate of Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Bettis received a Master of Science degree in 1992 and a Doctor of Education degree in 1994 from Oklahoma State University. From 2007-09, he was an assistant professor of mass communication at Ouachita, teaching courses in public relations, advertising, multimedia communication, news writing and photojournalism.
Since 2001, Bettis and his wife, Meg, have been the owners of Freeman Publications Inc., which produces a weekly newspaper for northwest Colorado, the Rio Blanco Herald Times, and a hunting magazine.
Bettis and his wife have three children, Jackson, 11; Addy, 6; and Elli, 3.
ABPG is a niche publishing group with a Web development company, FLEX360. ABPG produces 20 publications, including magazines and websites.
In addition to Arkansas Business, ABPG’s products include Little Rock Family, a monthly parenting magazine launched in 1994, and Little Rock Soirée, a monthly magazine covering nonprofits, fashion, food and events in Little Rock and launched in 2002.
Other publications include Arkansas Bride, Guest Guide to Greater Little Rock, Arkansas Next: A Guide to Life After High School and Northwest Arkansas Lease Guide.
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