Silverado Express
gains new staff
Publisher/Creative Designer
Megan Ruland never made
plans to be a newspaperwoman, but sometimes, you inherit the ink. Our new
publisher’s illustrious career in print began at age 11, when her mother, Nadia
Willey, worked for the Statesman Review
in layout and design. Ruland became part of the newspaper family and learned
vicariously through her mother how to put together a paper, along with the
other ins and outs of graphic design. When Willey moved over to the Silverado Express with Don Birch in 2008,
Ruland was not far behind. Coming on board as an employee for what was then
Booth and LaDuke Motors, Ruland quickly became indispensible to not only the
dealership, but the quickly growing Express
as well. When Tony Booth offered her the job of “computer girl”, Ruland had no
idea what she was in for. Juggling the many hats of IT and network manager, ad
designer, social media guru, etc., etc., etc., she was busy enough before the
Silverado fell into her lap. When her mother stepped out from behind the
creative design desk at the Silverado Express, Ruland was a shoe-in
replacement. “I had been watching my mom build the paper, helping her out here
and there, and learning along the way.” Her first solo edition emerged when her
mother was out on medical leave. Ruland swooped to the rescue of the paper and
created a special holiday edition for December of 2013. Ruland says that she
loves every aspect of being the creative designer for the newspaper. Putting
all of the puzzle pieces together in an artistic way that is pleasing to the
eye taps all of Megan’s best talents.
A self-taught tech-whiz,
Ruland grew up in the Colville area, graduating in 2008. At 16 she travelled to
Brazil with an Interact Group from the Colville Rotary to help set up a
computer network for a school in an impoverished community. Emerging from high
school with both artistic and technological talents, Ruland began working
quickly and hasn’t paused since. In 2013 she married Isaiah Ruland, a local boy
with a very large family, and cemented her root structure in the community. When
she isn’t busy juggling her duties at Country Chevrolet and the Silverado
Express, she is spending quality time with her little nieces and other family
members.
Ruland’s vision as the
publisher and creative designer of the Silverado Express is to both expand the
audience to a younger demographic and also connect the paper back to the
community as much as possible. “I want the Silverado Express to be a Community
Newspaper – I want the people to be the paper.” She says. One of the ways she
intends to make this happen is by expanding the online reach of the Silverado
Express through social media and an eventual website/blog. Going digital is a
way that she can accomplish both of her goals at once. Not only can she reach a
generation that has emerged with little connection to printed material, she can
also make feedback from all readers more accessible. Her hope is to encourage
more community interaction and feedback via Facebook and easy access online. While
there is no question of the popularity of the traditional newsprint for a large
local demographic, Ruland looks forward to an increase in readership through the
world-wide-web.
Advertising Sales
If you’ve spent much
time in Colville, there is a good chance that you have met our Advertising
Saleslady. Barb Christianson has been a lifelong Colville resident, retired
after a 24-year career in the office at Colville High School, as well as high
school cheer coach. She loved her job at the school, saying she “never had the
same day twice.” She took over selling
ads for the Silverado Express three years ago at the request of “Donald Vernon”
Birch, whom she has “known forever”, and who believed that her affable nature
and connection to nearly everyone in town would make the job smooth “saling”
for her. Birch was not wrong. Christianson has found her niche in meeting the
needs of local business advertisers and the community newspaper.
Christianson says that
her favorite part of the job is the people. Seeing all of the students that
grew up around her, and working with them as adults is a delight for her in her
latest occupation. “If you’ve lived here all of your life, you pretty much know
everybody, honey.” Barb chuckles. Perhaps it’s the encouraging voice of the
cheerleader that Christianson spreads across town that wins the affection of
everyone she meets. Whatever her gift, Barb is an excellent networker and
brings community connections all over the tri county area to the table at the
Silverado Express.
Growing up in Colville,
Christianson married her high school sweetheart and best friend Larry, who
retired after a full career for Boise Cascade. Perhaps unintentionally,
Christianson is following in the footsteps of her father, who was the
advertising manager for the Statesman Examiner in the 1940s and 50s. She
remembers sitting on top of the giant rolls of newspaper and watching them feed
into the presses as a little girl.
As to her second career,
Christianson couldn’t be happier. She loves the chance to visit friends around
town and keep up to date on everything that changes. “That’s what makes life
interesting!” she says. For information on placing an ad in the Silverado
Express, or for a social visit from the lovely Barb, please contact her at 509-684-6437.
Writer
Livia Stecker grew up on
the outskirts of Colville before she migrated to the Northport area. An avid
traveller with a varied background, she brings a fresh perspective to local
living. “I have lived in many places, but somehow, I always end up back here.”
She says, “you can take the girl out of Stevens County, but… well, you know the
rest.” Her writing career began at the age of 8 when she and her cousin in
Spokane published a neighborhood newspaper that they called the 21st
Avenue Gazette. Sadly, after three editions, funding was pulled and the girls
were forced to find another livelihood. Throughout high school, marriage,
college, and raising four somewhat unruly daughters, she has pursued her
passion for the written word in various publications, including Northport’s
School Newspaper, The Pioneer, the publication for Central Oregon Community
College, The Broadside, as well as numerous blogs, short stories, poems and
even a couple of novels that she is just waiting to spring on the world.
Liv is the second born
of six Stecker siblings, and mother to four girls, who give her endless
literary material to write about. She is an Emergency Medical Technician, a
structure and wildland firefighter, a substitute schoolteacher and a part time
waitress. In addition to her current professional pursuits, Stecker has worked
as an Archaeological Technician for both the Colville National Forest and the
Deschutes National Forest, pursuing her childhood dream of becoming the female
version of Indiana Jones. She has also
worked in off highway vehicle (OHV) trail recreation, retail, wholesale and a
plethora of volunteer organizations. Stecker likes to consider herself a small
wealth of trivial information, a jack-of-all-trades and a handy friend to have
around to make light of most serious situations. She has a passion for history,
literature, and saving humanity from itself.
When asked how she
chooses what to write about, Stecker responds, “Everybody has a story, it’s just
a matter of digging it out and giving it a voice.” She has worked as a
transcriber of local oral history in both northeast Washington and central
Oregon, and one of her favorite parts of volunteering for the local ambulance
service were the stories that her patients would tell her during transports. “
You can’t underestimate the value of history passed down through the spoken
word. We have to find a way to save those stories.” She says.
Stecker is looking
forward to helping Megan Ruland and Barb Christianson make the Silverado
Express the voice of the community, unearthing the stories that are just waiting
for a voice to tell them.
If
you have a story you would like to tell, contact Liv or Megan at the Silverado
Express! silveradoexpress@countrychevy.com
or https://www.facebook.com/silveradoexpress
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