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About
Who are we?
The people behind D-R Media and Investments LLC:
David Dunn-Rankin
Founder & CEO
Rachel Frank
Vice President
Michael Ruppel
Chief Financial Officer
David Dunn-Rankin is CEO and owner of D-R Media and Investments LLC. He brings a passion for quality local journalism, supporting small businesses, and leading growth businesses.
Prior to joining the newspaper and media industry, David was a CPA and consultant. He also worked as a technology entrepreneur and successfully developed and led multiple technology startups based in Atlanta, GA.
David has an MBA from Emory University, earned the CFP designation, and was formerly a practicing CPA. David holds a bachelor's degree in both Economics and German from Sewanee: The University of the South.
David enjoys swimming, traveling with his family, and entrepreneurship.
Rachel is Vice President at D-R Media and Investments. Rachel leads the company’s human resources and operational functions. She brings excitement for ensuring individual growth and eliminating waste within operations. Rachel also serves as President at Sun Events and is responsible for leading a rapidly expanding concert promotions business and overseeing the division’s strategy, operations, and finances.
Prior to D-R Media , Rachel worked in the non-profit sector by helping forge community partnerships.
Rachel has a bachelor's degree in Political Science from Sewanee: The University of the South. Rachel enjoys reading, exploring new places, politics, and spending time with her husband and children.
Michael Ruppel, Chief Financial Officer, who serves as our Chief Financial Officer.
Mike and his family relocated to Venice Florida after a successful career in New York. Mike most recently served as CFO of BFY Brands Inc. Before working in finance in the snack foods industry, he headed the Risk and Financial Compliance office at the New York Times Company.
Prior to that he worked in several financial positions, with increasing responsibilities, within the New York Times Newspaper and Magazine Group. Mike is a CPA who started his career with Ernst & Young.
Tim Smolarick
VP & Group Publisher
John Shank
VP & Group Publisher
Timothy Smolarick serves as Publisher of the Highlands News-Sun. Tim also oversees the publishing of three monthly magazines serving Sebring, Lake Placid and Avon Park and surrounding areas of the region.
Tim began his newspaper career selling subscriptions door to door for the Clearwater Sun in Clearwater, Florida in the mid-eighties. He then began traveling across the country as an independent marketing manager of circulation for the Denver Post, the Washington Times, The Gazette Daily Telegraph in Colorado Springs, and USA Today.
Tim then worked at the Tampa Tribune for 15 years, serving as the Direct Sales Manager of circulation for 5 of the years he was employed there. Tim also served as Community Regional Manager, managing the advertising sales department for all weekly & daily newspapers, as well as magazines. He then joined Suncoast Media Group as Publisher of the Venice Gondolier Sun, holding that position for six years before assuming the role as Regional Publisher in Highlands County.
John Shank serves as group publisher overseeing weekly newspapers in Lake, Sumter and Polk county. John is a long-time career newspaperman who has been immersed in all facets of the
business.
For the past 33 years, he has worked with News Media Corporation, a newspaper
company with dailies and weekly papers, most recently as Chief Operating Officer. Before that,
he served as Division Publisher for ten years overseeing publications in Illinois, Wyoming,
Arizona, and California.
Shank and his wife, Maria, have been married 28 years. They are the happy parents of three
adult sons and proud grandparents of a granddaughter who will be turning two next month. The Shanks call themselves long-suffering Chicago sports fans and enjoy returning to Wrigley Field when possible. They enjoy spending time at the beach, golf, bowling, pickleball, and bike rides, as well as walks with their Shih-poo, a cross between a Shih Tzu and a toy poodle.
The Story behind D-R Media
D-R Media is an extension of a family newspaper business, Sun Coast Media Group, which was founded in 1976. Sun Coast was originally based on the west coast of Florida and gradually acquired papers in Highlands and Polk county. The daily paper based in Sarasota and Charlotte counties was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for its breaking news coverage of hurricane Charlie and a Pulitzer prize winner for its editorials on the deplorable conditions inside the state prison in Charlotte county.
In July 2018, Adams Publishing Group purchased the west coast operations of Sun Coast Media Group from the Dunn-Rankin family. David Dunn-Rankin purchased the Highlands and Polk county newspapers individually and started D-R Media.
In December of 2018, D-R Media purchased Sun Publications of Florida which had weekly papers in Polk, Lake, and Sumter counties. In November of 2020, D-R Media closed the newspaper printing plant it had purchased in December 2018.
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