The Citizen gets new owners and management

Since its founding in 1993 as the premier local source for news and information in Fayette County and surrounding areas, The Citizen has been owned by Fayette Publishing, an investor group led by Editor Cal Beverly.

This week Cal Beverly passed ownership and stewardship of The Citizen to The Pulse PTC, a local media group fronted by Ellie White-Stevens, the new Editor of The Citizen.

Ellie White-Stevens is the founder and Creative Director of Dirt1x, a marketing agency that provides outsourced marketing department services and marketing strategy to businesses. Her agency has operated for the last 15 years. For seven years prior to that, she worked at Fayette Publishing with Cal and Sales Director Joyce Beverly  in their mission to make The Citizen great for both readers and businesses.

Who else is involved in The Pulse PTC? The Pulse PTC was founded in 2023 by Tricia Stearns and Jason Bass. “Tricia and Jason are both known starters of great things,” said Ellie White-Stevens. “Our team intends to bring our A game to operating The Citizen.”

A Peachtree City REALTOR with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Georgia Properties, Tricia Stearns founded the Peachtree City Farmer’s Market and the Peachtree City Community Garden. Tricia is the new Publisher of The Citizen.

Jason Bass, the owner of Jason Hunter Design, a local web design and digital marketing agency, is a pivotal community figure, organizing key initiatives like Peachtree City Night Market, 1 Million Cups, StartUp Fayette, Brewery Hours, and The Nexus Community.

“The Pulse PTC was founded with a dedication to ensuring Peachtree City residents are well-informed and engaged with local happenings. I believe that by acquiring The Citizen we can strengthen our commitment to keeping the community updated on issues that matter and encourage active participation,” said Bass. Jason Bass will be the Chief Technical Officer of The Citizen.

Ellie White-Stevens, the majority owner of The Pulse PTC, and therefore, The Citizen says, “As a group we are looking to continue the legacy that Cal and Joyce Beverly have kept alive—one where this community is the most important priority to this online paper.”

“For years I have had my clients place ads and stories onto The Citizen. I know that this is the best way to reach this region. I hope that we can continue to be a trusted source for news. My goal is to make sure that local citizens know what’s going on, so that we can strengthen our community,” said White-Stevens.

Joyce Beverly, who served for several decades alongside her husband Cal as the Sales Director of The Citizen, said  “Bringing a community together is one of the most important things local journalism can do. I am thrilled that The Citizen will be led by a team that already does this in many unique and creative ways. I look forward to seeing how they will continue to unite us through the power of stories, conversations and information.”

Publisher Tricia Stearns concluded, “Our goal in acquiring The Citizen is to continue the mission of meeting readers in their world and connecting them to vetted and reliable local news, providing them with ways to connect and care about the Fayette and Coweta County area.”