Ron Booth
DUNCAN — Kevin Hook is a family man, and now that family includes The Duncan Banner. Hook was introduced Monday as the new publisher of The Banner, replacing Floyd Jernigan.
As with any new job, Hook is adjusting, but he said the most difficult part of the first week was being away from his family in Broken Arrow.
“The toughest thing about this move is being away from the kids,” he said.
Hook and his wife, Linda, are in the process of moving to Duncan from Broken Arrow. The couple has two children, Garrett, 5, and Ava, 16 months.
Vice-president and Great Plains Division Manager for Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc. Keith Ponder said that he believes that Hook will be a good fit for The Banner and Duncan.
“I’m delighted to have Kevin join our company, he comes very highly recommended and I’m confident he’ll do a great job serving the Duncan/Stephens County community,” Ponder said. “Kevin’s background in sales and marketing is distinguished. In today’s difficult economic environment it was important to identify a leader that could help the newspaper by helping local business grow and succeed. Kevin has done that everywhere he has been.
“Floyd Jernigan did good and important work for us in Duncan and we hated to see him leave. Kevin has the right background and skills to lead The Banner and continue to do good work in service to the community.”
Hook is a native of Michigan, and has had several stops in his 22-year career, which has been based mainly in advertising. He has been in: Cadillac, Michigan; LeMars, Iowa; Council Bluffs, Iowa; Rockford, Illinois and Broken Arrow, Okla. His stint in LeMars was as publisher.
Although he has been in several different sized communities, Hook’s roots are set firmly in small, community newspaper.
“Cadillac, Michigan was very to similar to Duncan,” he said. “It was the hub of the area. I like the small-town newspapers. I like being active with the staff. I also like being in smaller towns that have a better quality of life with good schools, and Duncan certainly seems to have both.”
Being a part of The Banner’s team, which has received the highest honor available in Division II from the Oklahoma Press Association for the last four years, is exciting for Hook.
“Being a part of continued success is something that I’m looking forward to,” Hook said.
Outside of work, Hook likes to watch sports, including with his favorite teams being the Detroit Lions, Detroit Tigers and the Michigan Wolverines. Hook has also been an active member in many social organizations.
“I’ve been involved in various chamber boards, I was a past president of the Cadillac, Michigan Jaycees and a District and Regional Director for the Michigan Jaycees.”
He was also a Broken Arrow Leadership Member and was on the committee the following year. Hook was also a Broken Arrow Chamber Ambassador. Most recently, Hook served on the Board of Directors of the Broken Arrow Neighbors, a basic needs organization.
There were several draws for Hook to come to Duncan.
“The attraction to coming to Duncan was getting the opportunity to become a publisher again,” he said. “Duncan has a long-standing record of excellence. It also provides me the opportunity to advance my career with CNHI.”
Hook said that he looks forward to getting involved in the community and meeting the people of the Duncan area.
“It’s important that we provide our readers and advertisers with a quality product in a timely manner,” he said. “The best way to do that is to make myself accessible to our customers and get their feedback. I plan to do just that.”
