In the 30-plus years Vanessa Koper has been in the advertising industry, she’s traveled all over the country, but she always seems to end up back in her home state.
“I love Ohio. I love the work ethic here, the passion in the people,” Koper said. “There’s no other place in the country that people are this passionate about what they do.”
Koper, 56, started Monday as the new vice president of advertising for the Akron Beacon Journal/Ohio.com.
Beacon Journal Publisher Mark Cohen said along with her experience and ability to work with people, Koper’s familiarity with the region makes her a great fit for the position.
“She knows what Northeast Ohio is all about,” Cohen said.
Koper worked in the newspaper industry even before advertising, starting in a mailroom at the Tribune Chronicle in Warren in the late 1970s. From there, she worked her way up through different advertising positions, serving as an advertising director for three different newspapers and the corporate director of sales for Sandusky Newspaper Group, which operates 12 community papers in Utah, Tennessee, Michigan and Ohio.
“She knows the newspaper business, but she also knows where things are heading in the industry,” Cohen said. “There’s nothing she hasn’t seen or done.”
Koper plans on leading the advertising department “to great success” by seeking new clients and helping them grow their businesses despite a shifting climate in both newspaper and advertising industries.
“Traditional media will always have a place, but we’re evolving and we need to be able to bend and evolve with it,” Koper said.
Cohen said Koper’s hiring marks the completion of reshaping the paper’s leadership team in advertising.
“I have always admired this newspaper and the fact that I’m sitting here, I’m honored to be here,” Koper said.
Theresa Cottom can be reached at 330-996-3216 or tcottom@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @Theresa_Cottom .