PICAYUNE — Tom Andrews, publisher of the Picayune Item and The Poplarville Democrat, will retire Tuesday after spending 32 years at the newspaper, rising through the ranks to become the ninth publisher over the 106 year history of the Item.

Andrews joined the Item as an advertising representative in July, 1978 and was quickly promoted to Advertising Director. He served in that capacity until April of 2000 when Donna Barrett, CEO of Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc., (CNHI) appointed him publisher of the Item and of the Democrat.

Shortly after becoming publisher, the decision was made to upgrade the press. Because of physical conditions at the old North Curran location the decision was made to build a new, 15,000 square-foot facility at the present location, 17 Richardson Ozona Road, in order to accommodate the new press.

In April of 2001, citizens of Pearl River County joined with employees and company officials in dedicating the new office and production facility. The decision by CNHI to invest millions of dollars in the new facility demonstrated the confidence the company had in the future of Picayune and Pearl River County. The location was selected based on the direction of Picayune’s growth.

Andrews says Hurricane Katrina in 2005 presented the greatest challenge in his 32-year career at the Item.

“I’m proud, that despite the complete loss of communication and power, we missed only one day of publication,” Andrews said, “ …and for the first time in the history of the newspaper we printed Saturday and Monday editions for two weeks in order to keep the community up-to-date on the latest developments. All the credit for those accomplishments goes, of course, to our employees. None of that would have been possible without their dedication and hard work.

“It was a terrible experience that I would not want to go through again. We slept and ate here for several weeks before things began getting back to normal,” said Andrews, who was reared in Biloxi and is no stranger to hurricanes. He is a graduate of Biloxi High School, class of ’63.

The new press, the new office and production facility and guiding the newspapers through the Katrina crisis and into the digital and computer age were the four developments that highlighted Andrew’s career at the Item.

“I not only have had a lot of challenges here,” said Andrews, “I have been fortunate in having a lot of good friends, and, of course, some of the best employees from the county and surrounding area.” The Item has 23 full-time  and 7 part time employees and is an integral part of the tax base in Picayune and Pearl River County.

After becoming publisher of the Item and the Democrat in 2000, Andrews became deeply involved with the Mississippi Press Association and served on the Board of Directors for several years. In June, 2007, Andrews was named President of the Mississippi Press Association and served a one-year term. He remains involved with the MPA and is currently a member of the board of the Mississippi Press Association Education Foundation.

In the past Andrews has served on the boards of the Greater Picayune Area Chamber of Commerce, the Pearl River County United Way and the South Mississippi United Way. He is a member of Main Street and serves on the June Bluesout committee. He also served two years as Picayune High School’s Band Booster president in the ’80s while his two daughters attended Picayune Memorial High School.

The first publisher of the Item was E.F. Tate who founded the newspaper, the town and a bank, all in 1904. He was followed by a gentleman named Harbeson, who moved the newspaper to Carriere for a few years.

When publisher Jesse E. Furr rescued the Item in 1914, he moved it back to Picayune and ran it for 30 years. In 1944 he sold it to Chance Cole. Other publishers included Charles Nutter, Jerry Williams, Don Guin, Ed Darling, Dave Sims, Ann Rounsavall and Andrews.

Andrews was hired by Darling in 1978 as an advertising representative. Two months later he was named advertising director. Andrews had previously worked as an advertising executive and store manager for Morgan & Lindsey stores, which also owned Murphy’s Mart, which had an outlet in Picayune.

Andrews was working as co-manager of the Murphy’s Mart in Picayune’s Space Flight Mall when he chose to accept an advertising position with the Item.

“I had no idea that it would one day lead to the post of publisher,” he said.

When Andrews joined the Item, it was owned by Boone Newspapers, headquartered in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Boone purchased the Item from Charles Nutter in 1970. Boone’s purchase was the first time the Item became part of a chain ownership. In 1980, the Item and the Democrat were sold to Donrey Media Group, whose main offices were in Ft. Smith, Ark. Donrey held the newspaper for 18 years as part of its corporate chain and in 1998 sold it to CNHI.

Says Andrews, summing up his 32 years: “I have really enjoyed my career in the newspaper business. I will miss it and the people I worked with.” Andrews said his hobbies include sailing and listening to live blues music. He plans to do a lot more of that in the near future. Andrews and his wife Dee plan to stay in Pearl River County.

“It is with mixed emotions that we see Tom leave as publisher of the Item. In one aspect, we will miss his outstanding leadership at the newspaper, but we also wish Tom the best in his retirement — he deserves it,” said Terry Conner, senior vice president and division manager for Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.’s Gulf Coast Division.

CNHI is one of the leading publishers of local news and information in the United States. Founded in 1997, CNHI’s newspapers, television stations, web sites and niche publications serve more than 150 communities throughout the United States. CNHI owns five newspapers in Mississippi, the Laurel-Leader Call, the Meridian Star, the Kosciusko Star-Herald, the Item and the Democrat.

A search for Andrews’ replacement is ongoing.