GROWING up as a “Nangwarry girl”, recently appointed media sales supervisor Melissa Prior has always called the South East home.
After forging a 14-year career in graphic design, Melissa joined The Border Watch Newsgroup team two-and-a-half years ago looking to combine her interests in design and customer service.
“As I have lived in the Limestone Coast for the majority of my life, being part of our community is something I really value,” Melissa said.
“I really love the fact The Border Watch is an independent newsgroup, which means our advertising clients only have to travel down the road if they ever need us instead of having to jump through corporate hoops.”
Melissa originally joined the company as a media sales consultant, but recently received the well deserved promotion of media sales supervisor.
As supervisor of the sales team, Melissa’s main focus is keeping her team on track and helping them to secure a sale.
In addition to being the mentor for our sales consultants, Melissa also works alongside the region’s real estate businesses and car yards making sure they receive the correct service specific to their needs.
“Liaising with our advertising clients is one my favourite aspects of the job,” Melissa said.
“In regional areas like Mount Gambier, everyone knows everyone, so the clients I work with are also friends to me.
“You really need a great sense of community spirit in small towns.”
When she is not zipping around town between meetings with clients, Melissa enjoys spending time with her family – husband Michael and sons Connor and Jayden.
Both Connor and Jayden enjoy playing sport on the weekends and with soccer during winter and cricket during summer, Melissa’s family is always involved in the local sporting community.
Having such a sporty family, Melissa said another aspect of The Border Watch Newsgroup she loves is helping out the sports department.
She often pops her head in to sports editor Trevor Jackson’s office to give him a scoop from the weekend’s games.
“With the way modern technology has developed, we have a much bigger reach in the world than we would before,” Melissa said.
“We are across so many different social media platforms, which gives us great opportunities to push our message further.
“The addition of our new website at www.borderwatch.com.au also gives our loyal readers a chance to catch up on all of the latest news.”
Melissa believes the future is bright for the region’s newspaper and looks forward to further developments at The Border Watch Newsgroup.
