The Daily Journal
Amy L. Fields, Marketing Manager
815.937.3353

Number of Years in Business: 154 years (Since 1853)

Number of Employees: Nearly 200 (Not including independent contractors, like newspaper
carriers, which total an additional 450 people representing The Daily
Journal)

Location(s):
We have four offices:

• Our main office, printing plant and distribution center is located at 8 Dearborn Square in Kankakee. Ill.
• Our customer service center is located in our branch office at 1180 North Convent Street, Bourbonnais, Ill.
• Our Newspaper In Education program resides in our other branch office at 42 West Second Street, Manteno, Ill.
• Our Will County Bureau is located at 104 West Main Street, Peotone,
  Ill.

Brief History of Your Business:
The Daily Journal is the product of many different previous newspapers.

We were founded as The Kankakee Gazette on August 28, 1853, in Kankakee, Ill. In 1865, the Kankakee Herald was founded, almost immediately changing its name to the Kankakee Times. In 1885, the Kankakee Evening Democrat started, giving Kankakee its third newspaper.

In 1903, a group of stockholders organized the Kankakee Republican Company, purchased the Kankakee Times and changed its name to the Kankakee Republican.

That group of stockholders included Len Small, who was later twice elected governor of Illinois. The Small family’s involvement with The Daily Journal celebrated its centennial in 2003.

In 1920, The Kankakee Gazette and Evening Democrat merged into the Kankakee Daily News, making the city a two-newspaper town. In 1931, the Kankakee Republican and the Kankakee Daily News consolidated into one newspaper — the Kankakee Republican.

In, 1945, the name of the newspaper was changed to the Kankakee Daily Journal. On August 23, 1973, the newspaper assumed its current name of The Daily Journal.

The Daily Journal, which now has offices in Bourbonnais, Peotone and Manteno, moved to its current printing location in downtown Kankakee in 1951. The current format of publishing everyday but Saturday started in 1950.

An independent newspaper owned by the Small family, today The Daily Journal is part of the Small Newspaper Group, which includes newspapers in Ottawa, Moline and Rock Island, Ill.; Rochester, Minn.; Davenport, Iowa; and Pacific Palisades, Cal.

The Small Newspaper Group maintains bureaus in Washington, D.C., and the state capital of Springfield.

Memorable Moments in Company's History:
Most memorable are those moments when The Daily Journal receives recognition for achievements in newspaper excellence. Most recently, The Daily Journal's accolades include eight 2006 Northern Illinois Newspaper Association Awards, on of which is a first place award for newspaper design; six 2006 Illinois Press Association Awards; and three 2006 Illinois Press Editors Association Awards, all first place. Plus, in 2006 the IRE Freedom of Information Medal was awarded to Scott Reeder from our Springfield Bureau for his investigative series "The Hidden Costs of Tenure."

In addition to our editorial achievements, The Daily Journal also received the 2006 Ace Award for being the top print site of USA Today with consistent excellence in quality and productivity. The Daily Journal has been a print site for the Gannett newspaper since 1983.

Best Business Advice You've Received and/or Given:
The Daily Journal's corporate belief is to champion change, so it is no wonder that the best advice given comes not just from within, but from the top. In the context of innovation, our publisher, Len R. Small has this advice for his employees: It's okay to make mistakes.

After all, strategizing, anticipating new markets and identifying customers' ever-changing needs is only half the battle and implementing the right solution can be a difficult task. Creative and
diverse thought are encouraged, but if we are afraid to implement change because we don't want to make a mistake we may be hurting the company in the long run. So, a willingness to take risks and to learn from mistakes that may be made has become a new mantra for our company. This encouraging environment is the secret to our longevity and success.

Other information you would like featured:
We serve six counties in Illinois - Kankakee, Will, Iroquois, Grundy, Ford and Livingston - and Lake Village, Indiana by providing them with seven different products including The Daily Journal on paper, and online at daily-journal.com, plus My Wheels Finder, HOMEFINDER, Job Finder, Money Saver™, B2B™ for Kankakee and Will Counties, and our new Spanish language newspaper Fronteras.