About Us

Formed in 1995 by partners Matt and Lisa Walsh and David and Ruth Beliles, The Observer Group Inc. purchased The Longboat Observer from its founders, Ralph and Claire Hunter. At the time, The Longboat Observer had been published as a free community weekly since 1978. It serves the barrier island of Longboat Key (near Sarasota, Fla.) and surrounding barrier islands, as well as portions of Sarasota and Bradenton. Today, The Longboat Observer has an average weekly circulation of 17,000 and more than 34,000 weekly readers. It reaches more than 95% of the 10,000 residences on Longboat Key and specializes in covering news, real estate and events on Longboat Key as well as providing comprehensive coverage of the region¹s arts and social scenes.

In 1997, the company started The Gulf Coast Business Review. In 1998, The Longboat Observer Inc. launched the weekly East County Observer to serve the fast-growing suburban areas of east Manatee and Sarasota counties. The East County Observer has weekly distribution of 18,500 and more than 37,000 readers. It specializes in community news, events, business, real estate and sports affecting primarily East Manatee County.

In 2000, The Observer Group introduced “Season,” a quarterly guide to the Sarasota region’s arts, entertainment and society. Season provides the area’s most comprehensive listing of each quarter’s arts, charitable and social events. It has a distribution of 50,000.

In 2004, the company started The Sarasota Observer, a community weekly that serves downtown Sarasota and the most affluent communities along the bayfront in Greater Sarasota. It has a weekly circulation of 26,100 and reaches more than 52,200 readers.

Altogether, the company’s four newspapers reach a weekly audience of 123,200 readers.

The content of The Observers is often called hyperlocal. They specialize in reporting neighborhood news and chronicling the community news and events in each of their respective regions. One of the philosophies of The Observers is “no news is too small for The Observers.”

At the same time, The Observers serve as watchdogs of local governments. They focus much of their editorial coverage on news and issues affecting taxpayers’ pocketbooks. Some readers regard The Observers as the region’s most thorough newspapers when it comes to watching and explaining local government budgets.

The Observer Group Inc. employs 52 staff members in Tampa, Clearwater, Bradenton, Longboat Key, Sarasota and Fort Myers.

The company is headquartered at 1517 State St., Sarasota, Fla. 34236, Phone: 941-366-3468; Fax; 941-362-4848.

Worth noting

• The Longboat Observer won second place for General Excellence in 2009 in the national better newspaper contest sponsored by the Suburban Newspaper Association.

• The Longboat Observer was named Florida’s Best Weekly newspaper in 2008 in the Florida Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest.

• The Longboat Observer has been judged Florida’s Best Designed weekly in 2007 and 2008 by the Florida Press Association.

• The East County Observer editorial staff has won 19 first-place awards in 2007 and 2008 from the Florida Press Club for outstanding reporting, photography and design.

The Editorial Staff

Matt Walsh — Editor and CEO. Walsh has been a business journalist in Florida for 25 years, serving in previous capacities as assistant business editor at The Miami Herald, editor of Florida Trend magazine for seven years and Southeast Bureau Manager of Forbes magazine. Walsh is founder and co-owner of The Observer Group Inc. and serves as the company’s CEO. His economic philosophy sets the tone for the company and its newspapers’ editorials. The newspapers are unwavering proponents of laissez-faire capitalism.

Lisa Walsh — Executive Editor and Publisher. Walsh is the third-generation of a newspaper family. She continued the family tradition by marrying Matt Walsh (Editor and CEO of The Observer Group Inc.), a fellow student at the University of Missouri School of Journalism. She has worked for daily newspapers, such as Topeka (Kan.) Capital-Journal, Independence (Mo.) Examiner and The Miami Herald. But her heart belongs to community journalism and the communities The Observers serve — Longboat Key, Lakewood Ranch and Sarasota.

Michael Eng — Executive Editor – East County. Eng has spent the last eight years of his journalism career with The East County Observer. Originally hired as a staff writer and photographer, Eng was promoted to managing editor in February 2003 and subsequently to executive editor in February 2008. Before The Observer, Eng worked as special sections editor for The Columbia Daily-Tribune in Columbia, Mo. He has won numerous writing and photography awards from the Florida Press Club and other media organizations. Eng is a 2000 graduate of the University of Missouri — Columbia School of Journalism.

Jessica Eng — Assistant Managing Editor – East County. Eng has been a newspaper designer for 11 years. She joined The Longboat Observer in 2000 and subsequently took positions at The East County Observer and its sister business paper, the Gulf Coast Business Review. Before The Observer, Eng worked for The American, a newspaper for ex-patriates in London, and The Macon Telegraph in Macon, Ga. She has won numerous awards for design from the Florida Press Club. Eng is a graduate of Ball State University's school of journalism.

Jessica Luck — Managing Editor – Longboat, Sarasota. Luck is the managing editor for the Longboat Observer and Sarasota Observer. She came to the Observer group as a reporter for the Longboat Observer in June 2006 after receiving a bachelor’s of journalism degree in May 2006 from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She was part of the Longboat Observer news team that won first place in general excellence in the 2007 Florida Press Association Better Weekly Newspaper contest.

Nancy Schwartz — Assistant Managing Editor/Design – Longboat, Sarasota. Schwartz is the designer of the Longboat and Sarasota Observer papers and SEASON magazine. With her help, the Longboat Observer was awarded first place for general excellence and overall graphic design in the 2007 Florida Press Association’s Better Weekly Newspaper contest. In addition, SEASON magazine placed first for best special issue, section or supplement at the awards. She has been with the Observer Group since graduating from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism in 2006.

Dora Walters — Senior Editor - Longboat. Walters has worked for The Longboat Observer for 23 years. After moving to Sarasota, 40 years ago, she freelanced for the St. Petersburg Times and the now defunct Sarasota News before Channel 13 news assigned her to cover anything south of the Skyway Bridge. When Walters started working for The Longboat Observer in 1986, she recalls that The Observer processed film in its only bathroom.

Kurt Schultheis — City Editor - Longboat. After graduating from the University of Central Florida with a bachelor's degree in journalism in 2001, Schultheis worked at several Florida newspapers including The Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Business Journal and The Bradenton Herald. He has worked for The Observer Group since February 2007.

Robin Roy — City Editor - Sarasota. Robin spent 17 years in television news before joining the Sarasota Observer in 2006. He produced shows and specials for Tom Brokaw, Brian Williams, Lester Holt and others. As a local TV news producer, he worked in Sarasota; Tampa; Columbus, Ohio and Jackson, Miss. For his producing work, Robin has won Emmy, Edward R. Murrow, Telly and Associated Press awards. At the Sarasota Observer, he most enjoys taxpayer-watchdog and local-politics stories. Robin grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and graduated from Ohio University in 1990.

Pam Eubanks – News Editor – East County. McTeer began her career in journalism when she moved from Alabama to join the staff of the East County Observer as a staff writer. Now, four years after first delving into the lives of East County residents, she serves as the publication’s news editor.

Robin Hartill — Community Editor - Longboat. Hartill is a native of St. Petersburg and a graduate of the University of Florida. She joined The Longboat Observer as a staff writer in 2006 and became community editor in 2008.

Jen Blanco — Associate Editor – East County. After graduating in 2006 from Ohio State University with a degree in journalism, Blanco moved to Florida after receiving a job offer with The Observer Group. Currently, she lives in Lakewood Ranch with her husband, Brian.

Stephanie Hannum — Black Tie Editor. After graduating with a degree in Fashion Merchandise from the University of Kentucky, Hannum came to The Observer's Black Tie section via the Sarasota Film Festival. Having grown up in Sarasota, Hannum fit perfectly into the social and fashionable circles that are covered by Black Tie. Hannum has been with The Observer for almost three years and has a passion for getting the word out about Sarasota's non-profit organizations and all the wonderful people who help support them.  

Heidi Kurpiela — Arts & Entertainment Editor. Kurpiela has been writing for newspapers for more than 10 years. A Western New York native, she started reporting for her hometown newspaper when she was 16-years old. In 2004, she graduated from Buffalo State College with a degree in journalism and a case of wanderlust. Five months later, she moved to Sarasota to cover news and write features for the former Osprey Observer. She now covers arts and entertainment in downtown Sarasota for both the Longboat and Sarasota editions. She has a wild imagination, an asthmatic pug and no longer suffers from wanderlust thanks to her new house.

Loren Mayo — Staff Writer - Sarasota. Mayo came to the Observer two years ago from a writing position at Insider: Rochester Remixed, in upstate New York. For the first year, she served as a staff writer for the Longboat Observer, brightening the lives of Longboaters with compelling features, home design stories and local event coverage, before transferring to the Sarasota Observer and serving as its Arts and Entertainment writer. Mayo now covers everything Sarasota County, photographing and writing about school, neighborhood and social events.