Ann Arbor.com to Include Ann Arbor Business Review Coverage; Biz Mag To Close

AnnArbor.com announced Thursday that the Ann Arbor Business Review brand will be part of the site when it launches Monday, July 20.

Readers can expect the high-quality business coverage the Ann Arbor Business Review has provided since its inception in 2003. The Business Review will cease publication Aug. 13, but the name and content will continue through several channels on AnnArbor.com.

Leading that effort will be Paula Gardner, who will serve as our business director, and Nathan Bomey, who will be a digital journalist. Both will be joining the staff of AnnArbor.com to provide content in such areas as real estate and development.

Business content will be prominently located in the topics area on AnnArbor.com, and readers will be able to sign up for a weekly e-newsletter featuring Business Review coverage. In addition, readers of Ann Arbor.com's Sunday print newspaper will find expanded Business Review content beginning Aug. 16.

AnnArbor.com Chief Content Officer Tony Dearing said the Business Review brand will ensure the site has credible and comprehensive business coverage from the start.

"Paula and Nate are both well known and respected journalists in the business community," Dearing said. "They'll be a great addition to our staff. We recognize that business coverage is extremely important in Ann Arbor, and these plans show our commitment to that."

Gardner is an original employee of the Ann Arbor Business Review, joining the team before the January 2003 launch. Her first beats were retail, manufacturing and real estate. Her interest in real estate led to the development of the popular Square Footage section in Business Review and established Gardner as a leading regional real estate reporter.

Gardner was promoted to editor in spring 2007 and also was editor of Oakland Business Review. She established the Michigan Business Review presence on MLive.com.

Her experience in local journalism includes time at the Ypsilanti Press, Ann Arbor News and Detroit Free Press. Gardner, her husband and children live in Ann Arbor.

Bomey joined the Ann Arbor Business Review in September 2006, covering technology, alternative energy, life sciences, venture capital, manufacturing and the Michigan economy.

He created the "Michigan Business Innovation" blog on Mlive.com and has a strong online presence: breaking news on the Web, live blogging at events, taking photos, shooting and editing video interviews and managing content online.

Bomey's past experience includes several years of local news reporting, starting at The Saline Reporter and The Milan News-Leader. At Eastern Michigan University, Bomey was managing editor of the Eastern Echo in his senior year, overseeing a staff of about 100. Bomey lives in Howell with his wife, Kathryn Prater, a reporter at the Lansing State Journal.

The Web site for AnnArbor.com will launch July 20, and the first print edition will be published on July 26.