There is a change at the top of the Jacksonville Daily Record newsroom leadership.
Managing Editor Monty Zickuhr has been named editor, and Karen Mathis is now editor at large, effective April 2.
“Commercial real estate and economic development reporting in Jacksonville and Northeast Florida will become my sole focus now,” Mathis said.
The almost 46-year Jacksonville business journalist remains on staff as a reporter covering her favorite decadeslong beat and also continues to represent the Daily Record in the community through speeches, panel discussions, events and meetings.
“I have dozens of stories that need to be reported immediately, so be ready. And you know how to reach me,” Mathis said.
She will file reports for JaxDailyRecord.com and continue her column for the weekly Jacksonville Daily Record print edition.
Mathis said she has been planning the transition for several months in light of the growth of Jacksonville and the need to devote more reporting resources to it.
She joined the Jacksonville Daily Record as managing editor in 2010 and has been editor since 2017.
“With our team in place, we are prepared,” she said.
“I’ve worked with Monty Zickuhr for decades and I guarantee that the Jacksonville Daily Record will continue to flourish and reach new levels of excellence under his strong leadership, watchful eye and superb design,” Mathis said.
A growing staff
Zickuhr, who has been managing editor since joining the Daily Record in 2017, now leads the growing team of nine reporters, editors and contributors.
The 35-year editor, including 25 years in Jacksonville, has extensive page design and copy editing experience in the city and previously in Columbus, Georgia, Fairfield, California, and Pullman, Washington.
“There is no better journalist, editor or manager than Karen Mathis,” Zickuhr said. “Karen’s influence has shaped everything we do at the Daily Record — now and in the future. I am grateful she remains part of our team.”
“I will do my best to keep the Daily Record on track providing the development, legal and business news our readers expect from us,” Zickuhr said.
“Altogether, for the readers of the Daily Record and JaxDailyRecord.com and our company, I am happy,” said Observer Media Group CEO Matt Walsh.
“Actually, I am thrilled — thrilled that Karen did not decide to retire cold turkey. Ever since our company acquired the Daily Record in 2017, I knew the day would come when Karen — Florida’s best and most respected business journalist, bar none — would say it was time. I dreaded that day,” Walsh said.
“But thankfully (and selfishly), I am thrilled Karen is going to continue contributing great content and continue to represent the Daily Record in Northeast Florida.”
Walsh welcomes Zickuhr to the top editing position.
“At the same time, as Managing Editor Monty Zickuhr moves up to editor, I know the Daily Record and JaxDailyRecord.com will not miss a step and will continue to deliver the news and information that our readers have come to expect,” Walsh said.
“Like Karen, Monty is an astute journalist and editor, whose 35 years of experience in the business, give him the wisdom and instincts to make sure the Daily Record is doing its job for our readers,” he said.
“Our company has been fortunate and grateful to have these two high-caliber journalists — Karen and Monty — anchoring the Daily Record these past seven years,” Walsh said.
Zickuhr will work closely with Publisher Angie Campbell.
“Monty has been instrumental to our growth and expansion since joining our team,” Campbell said.
“He understands our readers, the information that is important to them and provides it across multiple platforms so it is available in the way our readers choose to consume it,” she said.
“Externally, our readers will see little to no difference as Karen will continue to report on the latest development and commercial real estate news happening across the First Coast.”
Campbell said that “our team is aligned and focused on our mission to deliver the latest news information and trends that business leaders rely on to thrive and grow and to remain your trusted go-to source of information.
Mathis and Zickuhr assumed the newsroom leadership in April 2017 after Observer Media Group Inc., led by Matt and Lisa Walsh, bought the Daily Record in January 2017 from Bailey Publishing & Communications Inc., led by Jim Bailey.
The Daily Record is 112 years old.
The nine core members of the Jacksonville Daily Record news team have almost 270 years of journalism experience, with more than 250 years of that in Jacksonville.
“That’s a tremendous amount of institutional knowledge that supports our drive to provide the insights that our readers expect and deserve,” Mathis said.
The Daily Record newsroom team
The Jacksonville Daily Record newsroom team comprises:
• Assistant Editor David Crumpler, a 43-year Jacksonville news veteran who will continue to edit and write while taking on planning and assigning responsibilities. He joined the Daily Record in 2022 after 41 years at The Florida Times-Union.
• Associate Editor for Legal Affairs Max Marbut, a 19-year reporter and editor at the Daily Record, will continue to cover legal and law firm news, higher education and tourism. He was associate publisher at EU Magazine before joining the Daily Record. Marbut grew up in Jacksonville.
• Staff writer Dan Macdonald, an almost 45-year Jacksonville reporter, will focus on reporting the business of restaurants while continuing to cover residential real estate and the business and top leadership of health care. He joined the Daily Record in 2021 and was a writer and editor at the Times-Union for more than 20 years. He attended elementary school in Orange Park as his father served in the Navy and he moved to the area after graduation from St. Bonaventure University in New York in 1979.
• Staff writer Ric Anderson, with 37 years of professional newspaper experience, covers government affairs, focusing on City Hall. Anderson joined the Daily Record in November 2023. The Kansas native was with the Downtown Investment Authority immediately before joining the Daily Record, and his experience includes serving as managing editor for the Las Vegas Sun and its sister publications.
• Staff writer J. Brooks Terry, who reported for the Daily Record in 2002-05, returns to cover regional economic development. Terry joined the Daily Record on March 25. He grew up in Jacksonville and spent years as a marketing strategist for higher education.
• Contributing writer Mark Basch, a 36-year Jacksonville journalist, covers public companies and the economy and writes a weekly column. He began writing for the Jacksonville Daily Record in 2011 after 24 years as a business writer at the Times-Union.
• Editorial Research Director and Distribution Director Scott Sailer, who has a deep and extensive knowledge of regional public records and development. He has lived in Jacksonville for 41 years and worked with the city Zoning Section before joining the Daily Record in 2017.
All team members will focus on small business within their beats as well.
Crumpler, Macdonald, Basch, Zickuhr and Mathis also worked together at the Times-Union, Jacksonville’s daily newspaper, now owned by Gannett Co. Inc.
Before joining the Daily Record, Zickuhr served 18 years at the Times-Union, most recently as a front-page designer. He also designed pages in its Life, Money, Reason and Jack sections.
A native of Visalia, California, Zickuhr is a graduate of Washington State University. Before moving to Jacksonville in 1999, he served as the page one copy editor for the Columbus, Georgia, Ledger-Enquirer.
He was a copy editor in Fairfield, California, and covered city government in Pullman, Washington.
Before joining the Daily Record, Mathis spent almost 30 years as a business writer, columnist and editor at the Times-Union.
She also spent more than two years as executive director of the Dreams Come True nonprofit and about two years as a producer and anchor at WJCT TV-7.
The St. Louis-area native is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism.