The colors are familiar: the ultramarine blue and olive-grove green that are found in the logo for Northern Arizona University.
The two colors and the NAU logo are some of the elements that create the design of a new publication, BizJack News, debuting in this November issue of Flagstaff Business News.
The two-page insert is the result of a partnership between Flagstaff Business News and two entities at Northern Arizona University: The W.A. Franke College of Business and the School of Communication.
The idea for the new publication came from Troy Bix, who, with more than two decades in the publishing and advertising world, launched Flagstaff Business News in 2008.
Craig Van Slyke, dean of the W.A. Franke College of Business, has been associated with FBN for several years and writes a monthly column for the publication.
“We had some discussion with the School of Communication; the idea was to work together,” Van Slyke explained. “So, I was happy when Troy approached me with idea of an insert with Flagstaff Business News. Troy is kind of an idea guy. One of the things I’ve been trying to do with the college is to have people think about us when they think about business in the region.”
Van Slyke said the BizJack idea has taken form quickly in the last four weeks and began to gel as Van Slyke talked with Professor Norman Medoff, director of the School of Communication, about enlisting journalism students to generate content for the new publication.
“We are very excited to partner with the Franke College of Business (FCB) and the students to build a new NAU business publication brand,” Bix observed. “And, I’m looking forward to working one-on-one with students as well.”
Medoff said that Martin Sommerness, a journalism professor at the School of Communication, is working to recruit students to write features for BizJack.
“The partnering agreement is a great opportunity for our students to work with the Flagstaff Business News but also for the School of Communication students to partner with the FCB folks,” Sommerness observed. “It should at once help to serve the community and provide resume building real-world experiences for our young scholars.”
Two staff members at Franke also jumped onboard the project: Stephen Wright, associate dean and director of the Global Business Program, and coordinating with Theresa Stacy-Ryan, graphic design supervisor at the college.
They worked to create the unique look of BizJack, which includes branding as a business school project while blending with the graphics of FBN.
“Our goal was to brand BizJack News as recognizably connected to NAU and The W. A. Franke College of Business, while still tying into the established design of FBN,” Stacy-Ryan said.
An online version of the publication will run with the FBN online edition and video link will be provided to support the content of the stories.
Van Slyke, who is also a professor of computer information system and leads a first-year seminar in self-leadership, said the goal is to eventually have paid ads and become a regular monthly feature of FBN.
“This is kind of an experiment,” he explained. “I always like to think about innovative ideas. Another benefit of BizJack will be to give some of the School of Communication students insight and experience into business reporting and business news. I think that it could have utility for them in the job market.”
The first issue reports on the first-ever Entrepreneurship Week, as well as a career fair, both in early October and hosted by the Business Division at the Franke College of Business.
Van Slyke says he is a big believer in working across college lines, and the new publication is a prime example of “working across silos” – thinking across boundaries and sharing information and experience. “Perhaps they can come over here for a minor in business,” he said with a laugh, speaking about the BizJack student writers at the School of Communication. FBN
Betsey Bruner is a long-time journalist and commercial photographer in Flagstaff. She operates out of Words & Images, her freelance business downtown.
By Betsey Bruner
Flagstaff Business News