A Central New York fixture since the 1960s – both at their previous long-time location in Palatine Bridge and at their current offices in Canajoharie – Lee Newspapers Inc. shows no signs of letting off the gas pedal.

Publishers of the regional commercial agricultural weekly Country Folks, the monthly commercial horticulture publication Country Folks Grower and local quarterly magazine Country Culture as well as local commercial printing entity and manager of three regional trade shows – Keystone Farm Show (York, PA), Virginia Farm Show (Fishersville, VA) and Hard Hat Expo (Syracuse, NY) – shows that the company has a lot of irons in the fire of industry in the Northeast and beyond.

With that in mind, the company is looking toward important staff reorganization as multiple long-term players step into retirement. The company is promoting internally, focused on continued momentum for the Lee brand in 2025 and looking toward an exciting new chapter as some newer faces step into the roles with fresh ideas, new approaches and a lot of enthusiasm.

President and General Manager Janet Lee Stanley, daughter of founder Fred Lee, views that as a winning recipe for the company, stressing that she is excited to see what the new managers bring to the table.

“We’re enormously thankful for the team we have and for some of the managers that we’ve had on board for 30, 40 years now. But as we know, time marches on and they’re stepping into new chapters of their lives as they look at retirement and we’ve got to look at what’s next for us here at the company,” she said. “We have a really bright, young team of rock stars that have all been with us a number of years now. They each bring a unique set of skills to the table and I know they’re going to be enormous assets to their respective publications and events – not only for the company, but for our advertisers and exhibitors as well.”

Long-time sales manager and former general manager Bruce Button, currently serving as senior manager of Country Folks, will retire formally on June 1, 2026. The company is pleased to announce that Elizabeth Friers, a local dairy farmer familiar to many across the Mohawk Valley who has worked with Lee Newspapers since 2022 and served as the assistant manager of Country Folks since early 2024, will be stepping into Button’s shoes as senior manager of the agricultural periodical, effective July 1, 2025. She will work in a collaborative capacity with Button until his retirement date, learning from his decades in the business.

“In the four years I’ve worked with her, Liz’s passion for agriculture speaks for itself,” Button said. A voracious consumer of all types of ag news, “this gives her a helpful industry insight … Her personal life also centers around ag. She lives on a family farm and is intimately familiar with what our readers and advertisers are dealing with. I’m excited for her as she leads Country Folks forward.”

Long-time sales manager for various publications and the current sales manager for CNY’s Hard Hat Expo Matt Stanley will be stepping down from his duties as sales manager for Country Folks Grower and will be taking on Button’s responsibilities as National Sales Representative, steering efforts for Keystone Farm Show, the Virginia Farm Show and the Hard Hat Expo. Button will work with Stanley through his retirement in June 2026.

“Matt has worked with us since 1996. He has managed industry publications, consumer publications and has led the Hard Hat Expo for many years,” said Ken Maring, manager of the company’s trade show division. “I look forward to working more closely with him as we guide our trade show operations into the future.”

A familiar face for those familiar with the former Mohawk Valley Country Editor, Becky Mauk of Sprakers, who has worked with the company since 2021 and currently serves as the assistant classified manager for all publications, will be stepping into Stanley’s responsibilities as sales manager for Country Folks Grower, effective with the August 2025 edition of the monthly horticulture and specialty crops magazine.

“I could not be more pleased to hand the reins of Grower over to Becky Mauk. Becky has consistently demonstrated commitment, creative diligence, customer care and enthusiasm for our publications and trade shows,” Stanley said. “I am confident Becky will expand Grower’s influence in the horticulture industry while helping existing and new advertisers grow their individual businesses.”

Jessica Leavelle, a local to Palatine Bridge and a sales representative with the company for two years, will be moving into the assistant classified manager position for all publications effective Aug. 1. Long-time classified manager Peg Patrei shared, “It’s been a pleasure working with the younger generation. I’ve been able to share my years of experience and am confident that Jessica will be a great partner in our busy classified department.”

The company’s training manager and Fort Plain local Fred Mang, known to many in the local farming and motocross communities and who has been with the company since 2013, will step into a new role as the company’s corporate sales manager, overseeing all aspects of sales generated by the company. Janet Stanley noted what an asset Mang’s proficiency with numbers and passion for efficiency will be for the company. Andy Haman, the company’s digital program coordinator, said, “Fred is passionate about moving our company forward and creating a culture that provides continual success for our entire team and more importantly our customers. In particular, I look forward to partnering more closely on digital sales and developing that facet of our operation together.”

The entire team is excited about the transition and looks forward to continuing to offer the same standards of excellence at home and across its entire readership area.

For more information about Lee Newspapers Inc. and its local and regional offerings, visit leepub.com.