The Chronicle will officially cut the ribbon for its new location at 4:45 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 18, when it will simultaneously host the Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce’s December Business After Hours and its annual ugly sweater contest.
The Business After Hours event will begin immediately following the ribbon-cutting ceremony, and the night will conclude with the ugly sweater contest, where prizes for the top three best ugly sweaters will be awarded.
Coralee and Chad Taylor, co-owners of CT Publishing LLC, purchased The Chronicle in 2021 and moved the newspaper into its current location at 215 N. Pearl St. in late August. According to the Taylors and multiple longtime employees, the new digs have been an improvement to the day-to-day operations of The Chronicle.
“One of the biggest improvements is everybody that works here is excited to come to work every single day. I’ve never seen people smile so much,” Chad Taylor said. “They feel like they have a home that’s not crumbling around them. I think it provides a renewed sense of stability for the paper and for the community that we serve. We’re stronger.”
Brian Watson, regional sales manager, repeated that sentiment and said the new space is set up in a way that the sales team can work more collaboratively on projects.
“There’s definitely a new level of synergy in our team,” he said. “I think the new building is symbiotic of the health of our paper in a lot of ways. We’re not only alive and well, but we’re thriving and growing. It’s nice to be in a space that reflects that positive momentum.”
Mike Willis, facilities manager, described the new building as a “fresh start” and a “new beginning.” Ronda Barr, customer service manager, added that the employees seem happier working in the new building.
“Everybody’s aura is so much better here. I absolutely love coming to work every single day,” Barr said. “I love the people I work with, and the people that come in are amazed at how beautiful this building is.”
CT Publishing LLC owns and operates The Chronicle, the Nisqually Valley News and The Reflector and will soon launch an expansion into Thurston County. The new building reflects the upward trajectory that the Taylors have aimed to bring to the newspaper.
“The morale of the office feels a lot different. Every piece of our Chronicle building is awesome, and the team that we have here is great,” Coralee Taylor said.
Founded in 1889 as The Weekly Chronicle by Thomas Scammons and J.E. Whinner, the newspaper has had only four owners in its long history. Today, it stands as one of the few family-owned daily newspapers still in circulation in Washington state.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony is hosted by the Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce, which celebrates local business milestones such as grand openings, expansion and anniversaries. Business After Hours is a monthly event designed to showcase different member businesses. For more information, contact the chamber at 360-748-8885 or director@chamberway.com.
