 | | | Ignacio Vega, Village Associates holding a copy of issue 1 with his first ad. Photos Andy Scheck | | | | | | Several advertisers have been with the Lamorinda Weekly since its inception in 2007, and those early adopters share two similar characteristics with publishers Andy and Wendy Scheck: They are community-oriented, and they are famously nice people. Their recollections follow, in their own words.
5 A Rent-A-Space - Jenny Boyd, Senior VP, Marketing and Operations
I met Andy and Wendy at a Chamber event -someone introduced us. They told us about their paper. I thought, That's wonderful! It was all about the town, not just an article about the town.
I am proud to have been the first advertiser. (And they have been in every issue since.)
Village Associates - Ignacio "Ig" Vega, Broker
The Lamorinda Weekly filled the void when the Contra Costa Sun failed. Andy and Wendy came in, they were down-to-earth, they were not slick at all. I was skeptical. How can you do a start-up like this? Then I thought, this might work. We had little to lose.
Because we were early, they gave us the back page of Our Homes (first stand-alone Our Homes section - Feb. 17, 2010). That insert gained traction. It gave us lots of eyeballs, and our competitors had to follow suit.
McDonnell Nursery - Sarah McDonnell, Owner
I felt good about Andy and Wendy. I liked what they were doing, covering the Lamorinda area. They are lovely to work with. They help me with my seasonal ad changes, and they always think of me when they run special articles in the paper.
They make things so easy.
Garden Lights Landscape and Pool Development - Cathy Lambert, Owner
I got a call from Wendy. I am turned off by high pressure but I felt she was very genuine and cared about our business.
I like how they think of us not just as a client. We were shopping at the farmers market, Andy and Wendy were doing a story there and they asked us to join them for a photo. Plus our daughter!
Our top referral is word of mouth, next is the Lamorinda Weekly. The paper is a perfect fit.
SewNow! - Susan Goldie, Owner
We both started our businesses at the same time (They beat the paper by four months.). We were trying to reach families with kids.
Sewing skipped a generation. Our ads catch the eyes of the grandparents, who want to see their grandkids learn that skill.
The first ad we submitted, we included the wrong phone number. It taught us a lesson about proofreading our ads.
The newspaper is a great fit for us.
Saklan School - Christine Kuckuk, Marketing Director
Our school always wants to invest in the community, and the Lamorinda Weekly has the ear of the community. The paper is widely read by the locals.
Andy and Wendy have been helpful to me as we build up our marketing efforts. Sometimes our artwork is not to their specs and they make sure that our brand image fits in with the needs of the paper.
Bay Area Drainage - Wayne Ortland, Owner
It started with a cold call from Wendy. She was easy to work with. We have always been a big part of the community - I was born in Moraga, my father worked for the Moraga Fire District.
I would rather give my business to someone local, and right now, we are doing a significant amount of business - 270 clients since early January.
The Lamorinda Weekly staff say thanks to all, as we work to help keep their business thriving for the next decade - and longer.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA