Calls departure a ‘commencement’ more than retirement; Kevin Ashby returns as publisher of both papers
Jenni Fasselin, publisher of the Sun Advocate and Emery County Progress, has announced her retirement, effective Sept. 29. She will be replaced by Kevin Ashby, former publisher of both papers.
“After 22 years of working for the newspapers, I have decided it is time to move on and pursue other endeavors,” Fasselin said. “I am glad to see that Kevin Ashby, the man who hired me as a sales rep so many years ago, has returned to take the helm again and assure a smooth transition of management.”
Tough decision
“My decision was certainly not easy,” she explained. “I love the job, the people I work with and the community we serve. It has been immensely satisfying to be a part of the Brehm Communications organization.”
Fasselin, who was named Southeastern Utah Woman of the Year at the 2017 Women’s Conference, stressed that she is not saying goodbye to the Carbon-Emery community. “After searching for a way to summarize what my departure from the papers means to me, I have decided to borrow a term from academia,” she said. “This is my commencement.”
An accurate term
“The word is apt because, like a student receiving a diploma, I have studied and learned a lot, and I leave with fond memories as I explore new career paths,” she explained.
During her two decades in advertising, she came to know and be known by the business and community decision makers who keep Carbon and Emery Counties going. “A community newspaper is a business that exists to help other enterprises succeed,” she declared. The more she and the advertising staff learned about the community’s businesses and industries, the better they could design effective advertising.
As advertising manager and later as publisher, Fasselin encouraged her staff to become involved in community organizations and activities. She is a board member of the Carbon County Chamber of Commerce and has worked hard to volunteer much of her time to programs that benefit the counties, including the No Grave Unadorned program that ensures that some 40,000 graves in the two counties have at least one flower displayed on Memorial Day.
If running two newspapers does not consume enough of her time, Fasselin stays busy staying involved with her farming and ranching business that shows the love she has for the land and its resources.
Deep roots here
“I was raised on the Emery County farm my husband Bill and I own and operate,” she says. They have a cattle and sheep operation they built from the ground up.
“Being a farmer or rancher is something you do because you love it. It’s lots of hard work with little compensation, but it teaches respect for the land and animals, and how to be a good steward,” she explains. “It has enabled me to raise my best crop ever: three hard-working kids and the best bumper crop ever, my grandson.”
“I have always said it takes a special kind of crazy to be a rancher,” she jokes, “because being a farmer is as much a mentality or lifestyle as it is a profession.”
She left her mark
“I hope that everyone realizes how hard a decision this was for Jenni,” said new publisher Kevin Ashby. “It is great for me to come back home, but Jenni has left some big shoes to fill when dealing with her dedication to the citizens and businesses in the area.”
“She has left her mark making a positive impact with thousands of people here who will continue to love her. Her never ending energy makes this area a better place to live,” said Ashby.
“On behalf of the newspapers, we extend our thanks and appreciation for a job well done and wish her success as she moves forward.”