It was November 7, 2025. I was driving to work when my phone rang. My editor of the last couple of decades, Bill Newnam, was calling, which was not unusual, but this call was. He called to tell me the newspaper had been sold, and I didn’t need to submit a column for December because the last column I submitted was the last one to be published. Yikes!!!
Was I surprised? Kind of, but not really. We’ve all seen this trend since the invention of the internet, but this one really hits home. My first column for Southern Jewelry News was published in May 2002. That’s 24 years, and 7+ million printed and published newspapers ago. But I needed to talk to Bill about something much more important.
I could no longer type or write, due to a sudden spinal cord injury. I had lost almost all of the feeling in my arms and hands, and was facing a major surgery on November 19th and 20th. It was a scary time to say the least.
In a nutshell, my spine broke, and started shutting down many bodily functions, quickly! In less than 90 days, I went from perfectly healthy to less than 2 weeks from either hospice or assisted living. I could no longer walk without assistance. I’d lost all feeling in my arms, hands, and fingers. My muscles began to atrophy, and I was no longer able to get out of my car because I didn’t have the strength to lift myself up and out. I had to switch to driving my truck so I could use gravity to get out of my vehicle. But, enough about me, we’re talking about this publication.
Bill told me that he and his partner, Chris Smith, my longtime publisher, had sold the newspaper to Guy Pineda, one of our longtime contractors who helped us enter the digital age. Guy is also the person who got us into the podcasting space. In the year 2026, more people consume their news digitally than via a printed newspaper. Guy is the person who has been helping us make that transition for a long time, so it was a good fit for Guy to take the reins for the next chapter of Southern Jewelry News and Mid-America Jewelry News.
Guy told me that he is humbled to be given the responsibility of taking this publication to the next level and bringing it to the next generation of readers. The biggest change, at least for 2026, is that the printed edition will switch from a monthly to a quarterly schedule. But the content that everyone relies on to keep up with industry news and trends will now appear in your social media feed and your email inbox much more frequently.
We’re only changing the way you receive the content, not the content itself. All of your favorite columnists and your favorite features will still be published, just in a digital format.
So who the heck is Guy Pineda? Guy owns a company called ‘Jewelry Store Marketers’. Guy has been heavily involved in this industry for many years, helping independent owner-operators across the country develop and enhance their online presence. Guy is ‘the guy you call’ when you decide that it’s time to really boost your online footprint. He’s been working with many of your colleagues, and many of our readers, for years. Now, he’s taking the reins of an industry institution, Southern Jewelry News.
Our longtime Vice President of Sales, Elesa Dillon, is staying on with us, as is our longtime Project Manager, Martha Oswald. One of the big changes Guy is planning is expanding our classified ads section. You can now go online and place a classified ad, at no charge, and it will be online in days, not weeks. Also, our classified ads will be indexed to help you buy or sell quickly and easily.
Regarding the print edition, Guy is adding more traditional newspaper elements, such as comics and crossword puzzles. There is no plan to become a glossy magazine because Guy wants to keep this a traditional industry publication. This publication has always targeted the independent jewelry store audience. That audience consists of all of us who get up every day and go in and make all of the decisions required of us to keep a business relevant in today’s marketplace. Guy has no plans to change the content that all of our readers have come to rely upon to make those important decisions.
But what about Bill and Chris? Are they just going to ride off into the sunset without saying goodbye? Nope, I’m not going to let that happen. Bill, Chris, and I have been together for over two decades, so I reached out to both of them to let them say goodbye. Here are their responses.
From Bill;
“It was a great run. I’m grateful to our loyal readers and our advertising clients, many of whom have been with us since day 1. It is a blessing to have made my career in this industry with so many wonderful people. Best of luck to Guy as he moves forward with Southern & Mid-America Jewelry News. I believe he has the skill set and work ethic to carry the publications into the future successfully.”
Bill Newnam, Editor
From Chris;
Acquiring and growing SJN and MAJN over the last 26 years has been very fulfilling and one of the best things I have ever done. Being able to take a fledgling newspaper with only a light board, waxer, and a 365 sq. ft. office, and turning it into a legit business, was challenging, but exciting.
To our readers, thank you for supporting us over the years. I believe we have the best, most down-to-earth readers anywhere. Your support has enabled SJN and MAJN to thrive.
To our valued advertising partners, without your commitment, we would not have been able to continue. I would especially like to thank the partners who advertised with us since day one, 26+ years ago. These special customers didn’t just advertise during the ups, but also the downs, such as 9/11, economic downturns, COVID, and soaring inflation.
To the tradeshow folks, there were some good times had. While attending the many trade shows over the years, I met a lot of great people, some not-so-great people, and a few jackasses (you know which group you belong in). We had some great times at the casinos, dinners, and baseball games.
I remember more than once having beers and watching NASCAR races with our ‘A #1’, wildly popular columnist, Mr. Chuck Koehler.
I have full faith that Guy will guide SJN/MAJN to many more decades of success and prosperity.
Go Get ‘em Guy!
Chris Smith
Publisher
So now, I know many of you are thinking, ‘Wait. What? Your spine broke! You can’t just gloss over that. Are you okay? What caused it? Did you have an accident?’
No, there was no accident or injury. One day, I noticed some numbness in my fingers. My doctor thought it was neuropathy and prescribed something for it. Then my legs started going numb. Then they stopped working normally. Then I realized I couldn’t raise my left arm far enough to wash my hair in the shower. Then everything really started going downhill. Right before the surgery, I had to make many ‘end of life’ decisions. That was kind of weird because I was perfectly healthy 90 days beforehand.
On the first day of the surgery, they went through the left side of my throat, moved everything over so they could see the front of my spine. Then they spent 6 ½ hours working on it. The next morning, they wheeled me back into surgery, and this time went through the back of my neck and cut over 30 muscles away from my spinal column. Then they spent 5 hours realigning and stabilizing it with pins and screws. For the record, I thought the front surgery was going to be the worst. I was wrong. Way wrong!
I was blessed with a gifted surgeon and surgical team who were able to repair my spine. I’m probably back to around 90% recovery, with a prognosis of reaching 100% in the near future.
But, based on the fact that you’ve read this far, you can see that the surgery was a success: my fingers work again, and I’m able to type again.
So it looks like you’re stuck with me through this new era of Southern Jewelry News/Mid-America Jewelry News. Because, as Bill and Chris said, we have the best readers ever!
