Entrepreneur Shane Long has purchased Texas-based monthly Envy and taken on the CEO and publisher positions. Long replaces former co-owners Gregg and Eric Falberg, who previously served as CEO and publisher and have since left the company.
Under Long’s leadership, the publication is expected to grow its technological capabilities and surpass its current 150,000 circulation. Currently available in Dallas, Houston and Austin editions, the community-focused magazine is expanding into San Antonio in 2009, and Long said he also is exploring options outside of Texas, particularly in “younger” cities like Denver and Phoenix.
“I’ve always been a fan of the book, and in the last couple of years, since Paul Salfen came on as editor in chief, Envy has brought a national feel to the local level,” Long said. “I think they have the right concept and have turned a corner.
“As magazines are struggling, the innovative ones are going to make it,” he added. “The evaluation was too good for me to pass up, especially when I have visions to do something different.”
Using his business experience in the computer and wireless space, Long is working to push Envy’s presence in the digital and mobile realms.
“I want to take my tech background and bring it more towards Envy, so in the next few years it will be more online and post-print,” Long explained. “Most of my background is in cell phones and mobile, so we are doing usable content that we are pushing to phones. The next step [in Q2 2009] will be an interactive push to the nearly 20,000 readers in our database, pushing them to cultural events in their locations.”
With these additions to its offerings, Envy’s target audience may become slightly more “techie,” Long said, but the magazine’s marketing efforts will remain focused on its traditional 21-40 year-old age range.
Advertisers are showing confidence in this aggressive plan: Envy is drawing more national and luxury advertisers.
Most recently president and CEO of GSCS (Global Supply Chain Solutions Inc.), Long has worked in the semiconductor, computer and wireless segments for nearly two decades.
