It was a husband and wife duo who first started providing neighborhood news to Arcadia residents under the moniker, Arcadia News.
In May of 1993 the first 5,000 copies were pulled from the presses and distributed to local households. Even at a modest 16 pages,
that first issue was tough to fill. A couple of paying advertisers along with the use of large fonts and double-spacing helped the cause,
but certainly there was room for the Arcadia News to grow.
At about that same time, Greg Bruns, who missed going to Arcadia High School by one street (Greg grew up in East Scottsdale),
was graduating from Northern Arizona University. Greg put in a few years of corporate sales with a couple different technology
companies, and in 1997, decided to "retire" from the sales career to pursue his passion: writing.
This coincided with his 30th birthday, so a minor midlife crisis could be the reason why he stuffed his toothbrush and sleeping
bag in his Jeep and then spent four months driving around America. During his personal Great Freedom Tour, Greg wrote a book
(unpublished) about the incredible experience on a borrowed laptop that graciously waited to break until the last leg home from Globe to Phoenix.
In late 1997, Greg popped into the Arcadia News office with some writing samples, looking for a job. While he was amazed to be brought on board
as the new humor writer, Greg was more astounded to hear that he would be paid $50 per month for his column, "Straight Up with a Twist." This was 100% more
than he had earned before for any of his writing.
During the holidays of 1997, Greg met a young woman from St. Louis named Jennifer, who was visiting a friend in Phoenix, and a
long-distance friendship started brewing.
In 1998, Greg was asked to join the sales team at Arcadia News, which was the same year he moved to the Arcadia neighborhood. It
might have been a "step back" into sales, but now at least it was a product he could believe in.
At the end of 2000, the owners of the Arcadia News asked Greg if he wanted to buy the paper, as they felt like they were ready to move on to another goal.
Greg was ecstatic and agreed to the purchase, taking over the helm in January 2002. At the time, the paper was 60 pages per month, and was mostly a black
and white publication with some splashes of spot color on a few advertisements.
Over the years, Greg and Jennifer's friendship had simmered into a well-traveled, long-distance relationship. It eventually boiled over
as true love on Halloween in 2002 when Greg, dressed in a Prince Charming costume and ring in hand, "trick-or-treated" Jennifer's house
in St. Louis, when she had no idea he was in town.
Greg and Jennifer were married in St. Louis in 2003, and then moved Jennifer's world from a suburb of St. Louis called Kirkwood
(a lot like Arcadia) to Arcadia. The two hadn't planned on testing the strength of their marriage right away, but they still formed a
corporate partnership together and purchased a building on Indian School Road and 39th Street, with plans to remodel it for the family
business. Then in 2004, the Arcadia News building was unveiled and the office was moved from its former spot at 48th Street & Thomas Roads.
The Arcadia News has a long history of supporting the community, providing cash scholarships to Arcadia High School graduating seniors since
2005 and internships for student-journalists and digital artists. The Arcadia News has also sponsored community events such as the Arcadia
Pride Picnic and the Arcadia Pride Fun Run to benefit the area schools, including Arcadia High, Ingleside Middle School, Tavan and Hopi
Elementary Schools, and the Arcadia Neighborhood Learning Center. Additionally, the Arcadia News has been a proud sponsor of A Mighty
Voice, a nonprofit organization that promotes research, awareness, and support for families of all pediatric motor neuron diseases,
including Brown-Vialetto-Van Laere.
The paper is grateful to the AIBH, for both the incredible energy and enthusiasm that it shows in providing support for those afflicted with breast cancer,
and for the opportunity to help make the 2011 Pink Light District a great success.
The Arcadia News is a family-owned and operated company. Greg's mother, Shirley, is the official proofreader, and Greg's father,
Bob, handles the distribution. Both are retired and enjoy working part-time for the family business. The paper also employs local
residents in positions like Bookkeeping, Sales, Graphic Design and Editorial.
Today, Greg and Jennifer are raising their two young boys, Carter (6) and Noah (3). They can be found running after/with them at
Arcadia Park, along the canal, or in their yard on Calle Redonda.
The Arcadia News is now 68 pages with full color on nearly every page of the publication. Still a local favorite and still a supporter
of local charities and worthy causes, the Arcadia News is the newspaper of record for the incredible community of Arcadia.
For more information about Arcadia News,
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