Richmond News and Excelsior Springs Standard Publisher Brian Rice has announced his retirement from the news industry after 32 years.

Rice dedicated his career to The Excelsior Springs Standard, beginning in 1990 as a graphic artist. Finding that the news industry allowed him to use his artistic, writing and management skills to their fullest, he continued in the profession, becoming publisher in 2002 of the Richmond News.

There, he remained for six years, connecting to the people and community of Richmond and Ray County.

When the publisher of The Excelsior Springs Standard retired in 2008, Rice was again promoted, returning to his hometown as publisher. In 2018, Rice regained leadership of the Richmond News and has published both newspapers for the past four years until his retirement.

“It’s a very challenging yet rewarding profession,” Rice said. “The news industry really plugs you in to a community. You meet new people all the time and see firsthand how a community functions and grows. It has been a very fulfilling career; one I’m going to miss very much.”

Rice admits he will miss his staff and co-workers the most during the transition.

“It takes a certain DNA to juggle the challenges of journalism,” Rice shared. “You must be courteous and curious. You need to have a great commitment to detail and deadlines. You must overlook your own opinions and feelings and report the facts. You have a great responsibility to your readers to give them accurate, informative news all under the pressure of deadlines. I must say, the people who comprise the Excelsior and Richmond newspapers have that DNA. I’m proud of how far they’ve come, and I look forward to following them in the future.”

Rice announced that his next career step will take him to the Excelsior Springs Chamber of Commerce as its next president.

“If there are two professions in town that are similar, it is these two,” Rice said. “Just as important as the newspaper is in recording our community’s story for the history books, the chamber is just as vital in pulling a community together. I see this career move being my next biggest challenge, using my talents for a cause in which I’m deeply invested.”

The transition is already in place, as Rice plans to be in the chamber office part time next week and full time after that. Taking the reins as general manager of the newspapers is Sharon Donat.

“Sharon has been with the newspapers off and on for nearly 10 years, by my best estimate,” Rice said. “She has all the skills and traits I mentioned earlier to be a good leader for our staff and an excellent community supporter. I love the fact that we get to promote from within and I couldn’t be happier with this advancement for Sharon.”

“While I’m excited about my next chapter with the chamber, I’ll miss my co-workers immensely. They are my second family,” Rice said. “I’ll miss my Richmond friends, business leaders and customers. I’ll miss the adrenaline on press day and the satisfaction of seeing a product you created in your hands every week. Social media is fast and is everywhere, but news publishing is something permanent. Watching a team of people come together like this weekly to literally write, design, print and distribute the pages of our next history books is a thrill I will never forget. I’ve enjoyed my 32 years in the business and wish this next generation of journalists the same joy and fulfillment I’ve experienced.”