Diane Kortus, recently retired publisher of The Laker/Lutz News, greeted new arrivals in a ballroom at The Plantation Palms Golf Club, in Land O’ Lakes.
Longtime advertisers, elected leaders, community volunteers, members of The Laker/Lutz News team, readers, family and friends gathered on Jan. 27, to wish her well in her retirement, and to honor her contributions to community life.
Kortus’ biggest reaction came when she saw her grandsons, Connor and Zachary, racing toward her — as her son Andy Mathes, entered the room. The trio surprised her by making a trip from Appleton, Wisconsin, to share in her special night.
Her daughter, Rachel Mathes, had traveled from Tallahassee and Diane’s longtime partner, Vic Anthony, of Land O’ Lakes, was there, too.
Terri Williamson, the newspaper’s senior account manager, emceed the event, which included heavy hors d’oeuvres, drinks, a cake and door prizes.
Williamson, Kelli Carmack, Trevor Lloyd and Nicole Sanchez handled the logistics of the event — which featured a slideshow of sweet and funny moments through the years, and a series of video clips highlighting Kortus’ impact on local organizations, small businesses and the community, as a whole.
Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore — whose district includes Land O’ Lakes, where the newspaper is based — offered some remarks.
He commented on the importance of having a quality source of local news and talked about the good that Kortus has accomplished through her leadership.
He concluded by telling her: “Congratulations to you, because you’ve made Pasco County a better place, you really have.”
Williamson recapped some of those accomplishments.
Under Kortus’ direction, the newspaper converted from a tabloid to a broadsheet, increasing the physical size of the paper by 25% and adding a B-section for expanded photo coverage, news and feature stories.
Kortus also expanded The Laker/Lutz News’ print circulation to include more communities. The current print circulation is 47,395; the newspaper also has a website, Facebook page and other social media channels, bringing its total weekly reach to 150,000 readers or viewers.
With Kortus at the helm, the newspaper also garnered recognition from community organizations and industry groups.
During the past two years, alone, The Laker/Lutz News received:
- The Excellence in Integrity Award from the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce
- Area Business of the Year from the Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce
- Twenty-seven awards in the 2021 Florida Press Association’s Weekly Newspaper Contest, capturing first place, overall, in the largest circulation division
- Seven awards in the Florida Press Club’s 2021 Excellence in Journalism Competition
Kortus told those gathered that before arriving at the party, she was under the impression that the focus would be on Brian Calle, the newspaper’s new publisher and owner.
She talked about the difficulty in deciding to sell the newspaper and said she knew Calle was the right buyer because of his professional accomplishments, their shared passion for print journalism and his knowledge of new technologies, which will help The Laker to build on its success.
Calle told the crowd: “I am so excited about being in this community. I am so excited about the work and the legacy that Diane has left. I can assure you, we will build on the legacy of journalism that Diane has created.”
Then, he said, addressing Kortus: “This was never to be a party for me — you thought it was to be a party for me. But, it’s actually a celebration of you.”
In addition to the evening festivities, the newspaper also wanted to do something more permanent to honor Kortus’ contributions.
“We’re starting a new Laker tradition, a new annual award that is named after you: The Diane Kortus Leadership Award,” Calle told her.
The annual award will go to a leader, who like Kortus, has made a significant impact in the community.
Published February 02, 2022
