PCN Adds 2 Additional Owners
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Rick and Kimberly Holtz have joined Sparrow Publications, the parent company of the Polk County News. They are joined by Calvin, 11, Penny, 8, Charlie, 5, and Timmy, 1. PCN photo
STROMSBURG — The Polk County News enters 2023 and is pleased to announce its continued growth by adding two additional owners.
Rick and Kimberly Holtz have joined Sparrow Publications, the parent company of the Polk County News. Sparrow Publications, LLC, was formed by Alan and Beth Sparrow in 2022. Kimberly is Alan’s youngest sister.
“Owning the Polk County News has been a great adventure for Beth and me,” Alan said. “We appreciate the support of the people of Polk County. It’s a pleasure to serve where we’ve called home for so many years. I love having Rick and Kimberly join us. Rick is talented and experienced in many facets of the business and we are lucky to have him.”
Rick joined the Polk County News in May of 2022, just before the Sparrows purchased the newspaper. He has more than 15 years of newspaper experience at three different daily newspapers in Indiana, where he worked as a reporter, editor, graphic designer, bookkeeper and marketing facilitator.
“I look forward to joining the ownership team here and continuing the vision Alan and Beth have established,” Rick said. “We want to continue to cover Polk County and keep this newspaper hyper-local.”
Rick and Beth handle the day-to-day operations of the newspaper. The duo share the writing and photography duties, while Rick handles most of the graphic design work — including page design and ad building — while Beth handles all the billing.
“Rick has been a great asset; he is great with ads and layout,” Beth said. “I know many of you know me, so you ask for me when you call, but we work together and he can also help you. Many of the improvements you have seen have been a result of his efforts.”
Kimberly is a former kindergarten teacher in Indiana. Currently she teaches the couple’s children at home. They have four children, Calvin, 11, Penny, 8, Charlie, 5, and Timmy, 1.
Sparrow Publications purchased the Polk County News from Dave and Sandy Thompson in June of 2022. In addition to this newspaper, the company also owns the Nance County Journal in Fullerton.
