Prestridge named publisher of GNL

Published 10:10 am Wednesday, April 4, 2018

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Adam Prestridge has been named president of Greenville Newspapers, LLC (GNL) and publisher of The Greenville Advocate, The Butler County News, The Luverne Journal, The Lowndes Signal, Camellia Magazine and its affiliated publications and websites. He replaces Tracy Salter, who is leaving to become executive director of the Greenville Area Chamber of Commerce.

Prestridge, a native of Gardendale, most recently served as general manager of The Advertiser-Gleam in Guntersville after stepping down as publisher of The Columbian-Progress in Columbia, Miss., where he served for nearly seven years. Prior to his time in south Mississippi, he was president of Atmore Newspapers, Inc. and publisher of The Atmore Advance and The Escambia Advertiser. Greenville Newspapers, LLC and Atmore Newspapers, Inc., are both owned by Tuscaloosa-based Boone Newspapers, Inc. (BNI).

Prestridge, 38, began his career with BNI in Greenville as sports editor before quickly being promoted to editor of The Luverne Journal, and a few months later to publisher of The Atmore Advance. He began his newspaper career as a freelance writer for The North Jefferson News while a junior in high school. The same year, he was named Alabama’s representative for the Washington Journalism Conference in Washington, D.C. He was hired as a staff reporter at The North Jefferson News in 1998 and was promoted to sports editor eight months later. After six and a half years, he left his hometown newspaper in 2003 to join GNL.

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“I’m excited to be coming back to Greenville,” Prestridge said. “Its charm and the hospitality of its people has held a close place in my heart throughout the years. I’m looking forward to meeting new friends and rekindling old friendships as we continue to publish a community newspaper that we can all be proud of.”

Prestridge has won dozens of individual writing, photography, design and advertising awards from the Alabama Press Association (APA) and Mississippi Press Association (MPA) spanning throughout his more than two-decade career. During his time in Columbia, The Progress won General Excellence or finished runner-up among like sized newspapers in the state each year.

“I’m certainly sorry to see Tracy leave, but I know her role with the chamber will allow her to spend more time with her family, especially her new baby, Elijah, while continuing to serve the community she loves,” BNI Vice President and former Advocate publisher Dennis Palmer said. “Tracy has spent the past 18 years serving her community through varying roles with its newspaper, and I’m pleased she will continue that service in her new job with the chamber. It was important to me to find someone to replace her who understood community journalism and had a track record of producing a quality newspaper that accurately reflected Greenville and Butler County. Adam has a proven track record of doing just that, and with him having lived in Greenville and worked at The Advocate before, he knows the community and its people.”

Prestridge and his wife, Jennifer, have been married 14 years and have two sons, Ethan, 12, and Logan, 6. He is member of the APA’s Journalism Foundation, the Rotary Club and is active in youth sports. He served on the board of directors for the Marion County Development Partnership for four years – two of those as chairman. He also served on numerous committees for the MPA, including four years on the Education Foundation board.

“My family is eager to relocate to Greenville and become an active part in its growth,” Prestridge said. “We look forward to setting our roots and making Butler County our home.”

Prestridge will begin working in Greenville on April 9 and plans to relocate permanently to Greenville with his family in the coming weeks.