As general manager of the Weekender, I would like to take the time to thank you, our readers and advertisers for another year of success. The first rule of management is to understand that you are only as good as your team. And as our team at the Weekender understands, our jobs as managers of our own specific job duties, relies heavily on you. For we understand that just like a manager of a company, we essentially are only as good as all of you.

Here’s why. Here at the Weekender, we work very hard at exceeding expectations. We work until the job gets done, not when the clock tells us it should be. We try new things and take some risks such as introducing new features like Wingman, Who Is, Fantasy Ref, and Dish. We reinvent ourselves by ways such as a new look to our Model and Man of the Week and the rebirth of the ever popular, Tell Us. We work hard at scoring exclusive interviews with celebrities, interviews you cannot read in any other local weekly paper. And we continue to interact with our audience by creating in-paper contests and attending local events while creating our own community fundraisers and parties. We do these things because it our customers who are priority. Those customers are you.

We receive phone calls and emails from some of you who love our work and others who vehemently hate it. Those accolades fuel us to continue to work. The criticism fuels us to continue to work harder. And it is that feedback, good or bad that lets us know we have your attention. Understand this, you also have ours.

The Weekender is your paper. It is your guide to entertainment. It is your showcase of local talent. It is your bragging rights to NEPA and why you know this is a great place to call home. We strive to erase the “there’s nothing to do in NEPA” mentality because we know, as well as you, that simply remains untrue. Our hometown is rich in arts and culture and has a philanthropic spirit unlike no other area. That message continues to be top of mind among our staff. This is why our readers remain our number one priority. It is you who contribute to our communities. It is you who give us pages upon pages to write about each week. It is you who run local businesses and grace our pages with numerous advertisements week after week. And for all of this, we remain grateful.

The Weekender is only as good as all of you, our loyal readers and business owners. Thanks for making us pretty damn great.


Here’s to you, NEPA for helping to make 2009 and the last decade a success for the Weekender. And here’s to continuing our joined efforts for years of success upon us.

Cheers, Rachel A. Pugh

About the Author

Rachel A. Pugh, a graduate of Penn State University with a B.A. in communications and a minor in theatre, came to the Weekender in 2000 as a Marketing/Promotions Associate. She was then made an Advertising Sales Account Executive and went on later to become Senior Advertising Sales Account Executive, Advertising Sales Team Leader, Sales and Marketing Manager, and the position she holds currently, Weekender General Manager and fashion columnist.

Rachel also serves as the Vice President of Marketing for the Wilkes-Barre Publishing Company, overseeing the marketing of company initiatives and events.

A graduate of Leadership Lackawanna, class of 2005, some of her community involvement includes: Board for the Greater Wilkes-Barre Association for the Blind, Executive Board for the Domestic Violence Service Center, committee member for The American Cancer Society’s Endure for a Cure, a board member of the Wilkes-Barre YMCA and a member of the Board of Directors for the United Way of Wyoming Valley.

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