Contact Us
The Association of Free Community Papers was organized to assist free paper publishers and to build a stronger industry.
Each AFCP staff member brings special talents creating a team capable of providing excellent service to members and the industry. AFCP's mission is to help its members enhance their profitability. AFCP must be the leader in strengthening the free paper industry. All staff members are committed to executing that mission.
- Our Office
- Craig
- Evelyn
- Bonnie
- Ana
- Brianne
- INK Staff
The Association of Free Community Papers is located in a concrete and glass office building in Lakewood, Colorado, a suburb of Denver.
Our office space, which we moved into on July 1, 2007, offers a professional environment to operate the largest industry association in the free paper industry.
Our address is:
AFCP
200 Union Blvd., Suite 205
Lakewood, CO 80228
877-203-2327
781-459-7770 (fax)
www.afcp.org
afcp@afcp.org
Craig was involved in a fatal accident on Thursday, August 7th, 2009 in St. George, Utah. He was returning from a three-week motorcycle ride in the West where he spent time with family and friends. We are very saddened by Craig’s passing and have been in close contact with all his family members since we were notified. We all share in the shock and abruptness of his departure and are providing support to those who knew him.
He was an experienced professional with a record of accomplishments in leadership, administration and supervision. His experience included 30 years of progressive responsibilities, including Chief Financial Officer of the Denver Post Corporation and President and Chief Executive Officer of a multi-state publishing company.
He was the executive director of the Association of Free Community Papers, which represents nearly 3,000 community papers across North America. Since taking the helm in 1999, AFCP membership more than tripled, classified revenues have grown from $600,000 to nearly $4 million and conference attendance has increased 800%.
While jointly serving as President and Chief Operating Office of Midwest Newspapers and Executive Vice President of its sister company, Partnership Press, the companies grew from three publications with total revenues of $2 million to a family of publications operating in 11 states with revenues of $22 million.
Throughout his career, he worked with Free Community Papers, paid weeklies and dailies, specialty publications, radio and television. Prior to joining the media industry, he served as a CPA with Ernst & Whinney. McMullin held an MBA from the University of Denver and a BS from Iowa State University. He served on various community boards and commissions and was committed to building the communities in which he lived.
For those of you who may not know, Craig had spent a year and half creating and establishing a non-profit foundation in support of literacy for children. This foundation, Our Kids Can Read, was granted 501- (c)3 status by the IRS this spring and was commended by the IRS for its initiative. To celebrate Craig and his initiative, you can make a donation in support of Craig’s program. Send your tax-deductible contribution to:
Our Kids Can Read
Great Western Bank
Attn: Frank Teunissen
215 Union Blvd., Suite 150
Lakewood, CO 80228
Evelyn Schmitz joined the AFCP staff March 9, 2009 as an administrative assistant and bookkeeper.
Evelyn is from the upper midwestern states having lived in Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, Minnesota, and Iowa. She is deep routed in the Rocky Mountains here in Colorado living at 8,000 feet elevation. She finds the Rocky Mountains allow her to climb a mountain, achieve happiness, shine bright and be closer to heaven.
Her business and administrative skills makes her a plus to our staff. She worked for KMOX-TV (CBS) in St. Louis, Missouri for twelve years as a Program/Commercial Coordinator. Evelyn and her late husband, Lee, owned and operated a wholesale picture frame manufacturing company known as Western Framecraft for 30 years and sold product across the USA. She has worked in other businesses, including banking, pneumatic equipment, insurance, commercial/residential construction, a law firm and a medical staffing agency.
“When I first interviewed Evelyn, I was struck by her deep understanding of entrepreneurial businesses and the pressures business owners face each day,” Craig McMullin, executive director, said. “Evelyn brings a deep background in business to our team and has assumed most of the bookkeeping responsibilities as well as many other office functions.”
She enjoys time with her daughter and camping, fishing and hiking in the Rockies. Evelyn keeps in great spirits, entertained by her awesome beautiful Border Collie and Siberian Husky.
Bonnie Rice joined the AFCP staff as an administrative assistant in January 2008. She immediately took responsibility for conference registrations and bookkeeping as well as assists the rest of the staff in all areas of the association administration.
“We’re thrilled Bonnie’s joined our staff,” Craig McMullin said. “Marilyn and I have known Bonnie for more than two years. She’s demonstrated dependability, accuracy and professionalism in every aspect of her work and to have her bringing those skills to our team is awesome!”
Bonnie works full-time at the AFCP office as well as attends the Denver Art Institute’s Culinary School as she studies to become a pastry chef. “The fact that she brings in the leftovers from her cooking labs had nothing to do with our decision to hire her,” Craig claims. “But it has everything to do with my lack of ability to lose weight.”
Bonnie is a native Coloradan and lives in the Denver suburbs.
Bonnie will be a vital part of the team at the annual conference giving members a chance to meet her. We’re excited that she’s working with us!
Ana Stephens joined the AFCP staff on November 17, 2008 as an administrative assistant and will coordinate the weekly NANI program.
“We're excited to have Ana on our staff,” Craig McMullin, executive director of AFCP, said. “She's a new resident of Colorado and lives only a short distance from our office. In just a few short weeks, she has become an integral part of our staff.”
As the NANI coordinator, Ana works directly with the NANI sales reps, prepares the weekly NANI lists and distributes the lists to participating members.
Ana is a transplant from Sebring, Florida and still finds snow fascinating. The rest of the staff would rather she not see much of it. Ana and her son, Chris, moved to Colorado just last summer. She also has two grown daughters in Florida and three beautiful grandsons.
While in Florida, Ana worked as an administrative assistant at a Florida non-profit housing agency helping low-income families find affordable housing. She also volunteered at Redlands Christian Migrants Association, serving as Parent President and Secretary of the Policy Council.
Ana works halftime, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday and can be reached at ana@afcp.org or at our office toll-free number, 877-203-2327.
When introducing the AFCP staff recently, Craig wrote, "No list of our team would be complete without including Brianne. She’s family as well as an important part of our team. Brianne Janes, an accomplished artist and graphic designer, has been the creative genius behind our brochures and materials since she rescued me just before the Chicago conference seven years ago.
"At the eleventh hour, I hired Brianne to put together a conference brochure. I think it was due to the printer in six hours or something like that. She created a free-hand sketch of the Chicago skyline, slapped it on a totally white background and that was the cover. The rest was easy.
"And, do you remember the wine stain on page two of the San Francisco brochure? Each year sets a new mark of distinction, the latest being her oil painting of the brochure cover for New Orleans. We made prints for each of the speakers and conference staff and it was the most highly prized gift we’ve given. Next year we hope to print posters and have them available for purchase by attendees. They truly are inspiring."
Brianne is concentrating on her art full time, so if you are interested in commissioning a painting or hiring her for freelance graphic design, contact her at brianne.janes@gmail.com. But we’re thrilled that she’s promised to save time to do our graphic design, too.
Dave Neuharth serves as the executive director of the Community Papers of Florida, which would keep anyone busy. But he also finds time to serve as the editor of Free Paper INK.
Through Dave's leadership and writing and his assistant's (Barbara Holmes) excellent work, Free Paper INK is the publication of record for the free paper industry. The magazine enjoys the widest readership in the industry and provides excellent advertising results for advertisers.
To read Free Paper INK online or research advertising opportunities, click on INK.
You can contact both Dave and Barbara at:
Community Papers of Florida
PO Box 1149
Summerfield, FL 34492
v - 877-373-3142
f - 352-347-3384
djneuharth@aol.com (Dave)
freepaperink@aol.com (Barbara)
Elaine Nelson coordinates Free Paper INK advertising and the AFCP Trade Show. Through her work, AFCP's trade show has grown to the largest and most successful trade show in the free paper industry and Free Paper INK has become the monthly directory of products and services available to free paper publishers.
Elaine has previously served in several newspaper and free paper publisher roles and has a long record of accomplishment in advertising sales.
She works from an office in Manchester, Tennessee and often travels to trade shows in the free paper industry.
You can contact Elaine Nelson at:
Ms. Elaine Nelson
Sales Rep
Coffee County Shopper
105 W. High Street
Manchester, TN 37355
v - 931-728-6760
f - 931-728-6760
inkads@afcp.org