Speaker Series on June 19:
Mark Frost of The Chronicle

On Thursday, June 19, Mark Frost, founder of The Chronicle weekly newspaper, will be the next entrepreneur in ARBI’s Speaker Series to provide ideas on growing a business. Mark will share with us his most important decision in achieving profitability: give the product away for free!  Listen to his insights on building a local business, the future of journalism and advertising, and how to stay “down to earth and growing.”

“Mark Frost has quite a story to tell,” notes Jeff Farley, Executive Director of ARBI. “His persistence and belief in what The Chronicle had to offer to this region are admirable, and he has shown great endurance to remain in the business for so long and withstand so many changes.”

Mark Frost started writing professionally for newspapers at the age of 14, covering junior high school sports for The Glens Falls Times. After graduating in the 1970s from Wesleyan University and the University of Maryland School of Law and beginning a career in journalism, Mark self-published a book, Scattered Frost, combining the best weekly columns he had written for The Post-Star and his three-minute commentaries for WWSC radio. The week before Christmas in 1978, the first 700 copies of Scattered Frost sold out, with Mark autographing every copy.

The success of the book set the stage for Mark's launch of The Chronicle in September 1980 with an investment of $1,700. The paper’s slogan still remains "down-to-earth and growing" and the promise of the business was and still is "locally owned, locally committed." It took nine years for the newspaper to turn a profit. What proved to be the turning point was when Mark switched from selling the paper to distributing it for free. The Chronicle had its best year ever in 2007 and is well ahead of last year's numbers so far in 2008. The paper has a staff of 18 people, plus a delivery crew. In addition to Mark, four people who joined The Chronicle in its first year are involved with the paper today.

Mark Frost will be the third local entrepreneur in ARBI’s Speaker Series, which began in 2007. Previous speakers have included Bela Musits, Managing Partner of High Peaks Venture Capital and previous Director of RPI’s Business Incubator, and Eamonn Hobbs, President and CEO of AngioDynamics, Inc.

Mark Frost will speak on June 19 from 8:30 to 10 a.m. in Dearlove Hall at Adirondack Community College. Admission will be $10, including a light breakfast, with proceeds helping to further the entrepreneurial and business development programs of the incubator.