By Greg Jinkerson-
Little more than a week after Spring Hill Home Page began its hyper-local coverage of serious news, sports, education, real estate and arts and entertainment, the online digital daily newspaper’s top executive announced collaboration with Spring Hill Fresh’s approach to community reporting.
Hazel Nieves
Beginning today, Spring Hill Home Page and Spring Hill Fresh will provide thousands of readers in southern Williamson County and northern Maury County with news, advertising, and other links to their respective content. “It’s a natural fit,” Spring Hill Fresh founder Hazel Nieves said of the collaboration.
“We’re combining the journalistic integrity and eagerness of how Spring Hill Home Page approaches news with the heartfelt enthusiasm that Spring Hill Fresh brings to covering community events.” Spring Hill Home Page CEO and Executive Editor Kelly Gilfillan echoed those sentiments.
“I have admired Hazel’s work at Spring Hill Fresh for a while now,” Gilfillan said. “Her desire to serve her community is the same as ours. We believe local is the most important aspect of news and we believe together we can provide everything the local readers and the local business community need to be a success.”
Spring Hill Home Page began its hyper-local coverage of the area when it launched on July 1 and it already has attracted thousands of online readers. Heading the SHHP efforts are Greg Jinkerson, associate editor, and Robyn Williams, BWC vice president of business development.
“There is a move away from local news in so many media outlets,” Gilfillan said. “We are moving in the opposite direction. Hyper-local is what we do. With Hazel, we really do cover the entire community and we believe it is not only the right thing to do, we know we can do it very well.”
Both outlets offer advertising as their revenue source but it is the local news that is their passion.
Kelly GIlfillan
“We believe in community,” Gilfillan said. “We believe citizens want to know what is happening in their municipal and county governments. Spring Hill residents deserve to read their own news daily. Together, Spring Hill Fresh and SHHP are going to give them that.”
SHHP is one of four publications under the BrentWord Communications, LLC corporate “umbrella” that also specialize in hyper-local news coverage in Brentwood, Franklin, and Nolensville.
BWC was launched in 2009 by then-owners Susan Leathers and Gilfillan when they began to publish an online newspaper called Brentwood Home Page. Its “sister” papers soon were added. The growing company underwent a 2014 major reorganization when the veteran newswoman Leathers stepped aside to pursue different interests and Gilfillan assumed the titles of CEO and Executive Editor. Gilfillan is a Brentwood native, whose resume includes leadership roles in the fields of sales and marketing, including media and healthcare.
“Kelly is amazing,” Nieves said. “Her work [with Leathers] in Brentwood inspires me. Their success breaking into that market is admirable, and I’ve been aware of it for years. This partnership is something for all of Spring Hill to celebrate.”
Over the last 15 years, Nieves has worked in web development and marketing through her media company Digital Persuasions. In 2008, she moved here from California with a goal of proving that “one independent person can step up in this community and make a difference.
“That’s how Spring Hill Fresh was born. I wanted to strengthen connections in the community, and to use event marketing and charity events to make that happen. As I’ve pursued those goals, it has helped to solidify for me an even more important cause for Spring Hill Fresh, and that is getting local people together, supporting each other, and showcasing all of the good and positive things happening in this community.”
It wasn’t long before Nieves began to notice community pride everywhere in Spring Hill as neighbors began to look out for each other.
“Not everyone in this city agrees on everything, but we do all care. And that level of care brings about community pride. My hope is that the kids who are growing up here today will love Spring Hill so much that they stay here, and become our teachers, and mayors, and business leaders.”
Staff writer Greg Jinkerson covers Spring Hill for BrentWord Communications. Contact him at greg@springhillhomepage.com.
