CherryRoad Media Vision

CherryRoad Media is committed to reporting on local news with resident journalists in the communities that we serve.  Our mission is to capitalize on our roots as a technology company to provide innovative media and technology services to our local communities while simultaneously improving the digital experience and engagement of our subscribers.

Who We Are

Our story began in 1983 when the Gulban family started the technology company originally known as DataStudy Inc in New Jersey. A key tenet of DataStudy’s growth strategy was listening to clients. As customers asked us to create new solutions, capacity, and offerings to support their organizations; we developed strategies to help them succeed.  After 20 years of success, we changed our name to CherryRoad Technologies, but our core values and leadership remained unchanged.

Since its founding, CherryRoad Technologies has grown into a highly reputable organization serving thousands of customers across the country.  Our high level of customer service and excellence in creating effective business solutions has translated into years of ongoing success.

In 2020, with the decline in local news investment, CherryRoad’s CEO, Jeremy Gulban, decided to chase his passion for journalism and communication and entered the media world via the inception of CherryRoad Media.  Through a series of acquisitions and newspaper start-up projects, he has quickly grown the company into a reputable, thriving institution.  His enthusiasm for the news industry continues to evolve and his commitment to helping local communities throughout the country has only been strengthened by the relationships he has developed.

At the forefront, CherryRoad Media’s priority is to impact our local markets in innovative and strategic ways.

Building Community Engagement Through the Power of News and Technology

CherryRoad Media’s priority is to keep local, local.  We strive to serve the communities we operate in by engaging in the coverage of important local and regional stories and events. By leveraging our technology expertise, we are able to deliver effective technical and media solutions to our customers and local organizations.

Our strength lies in our partnerships with area businesses, governments and subscribers. Our goal is to bring secure, easily accessible, and affordable digital innovations to the communities where we work, live, and play.

Our Core Values

Integrity

We act ethically and hold ourselves accountable to those we serve.

Courage

We are not afraid to face obstacles as we set and meet challenging goals on our journey. We are wholly committed to excellent outcomes.

Excellence

We strive to be a leading media institution and care deeply about what we do. We are committed to making a difference in our communities.

Teamwork

We encourage hard work, goals and positive growth. We see the success of our employees, constituents, and customers as an extension of our collective achievements.

About Us

The Putnam County Sentinel is the oldest continuously-operating business in Putnam County since operations started in 1855.

The newspaper began its life in Kalida, which was still the county seat at that time, as the Kalida Sentinel under the ownership of L. Wolfe. The newspaper remained in the village until after the Civil War, moving its operations to Ottawa in 1866. At that time the editor and publisher was M. G. Gillette and he changed the name to the current Putnam County Sentinel.

In 1867, Gillette sold the company to George D. Kinder who remained as editor and publisher of the newspaper until 1900 when he transferred the business to a stock company and incorporated as the Sentinel Publishing Company.

Throughout this time period in the county history, several newspapers started and ended their publishing lives, including the German publication, Der Democrat, The Ottawa Telegram, and the Putnam County Gazette. The Gazette stayed in business the longest, surviving through a series of owners until 1950 when the physical assets and the name were sold to the Sentinel Publishing Company.

Charles A. Schierloh served as the company manger of the Sentinel from 1900 until 1922 along with a line of five editors. The two positions were joined again in 1922 under the leadership when Edward J. Beckman was named the editor and manager until 1925. In January of that year, Edwin Sommers, then the superintendent of Ottawa Public Schools, became the publisher, editor and manager of the company. R.E. Laudick took over the editorial chair of the Sentinel in 1933 when Sommers – a very busy man – was also named the postmaster of Ottawa. Laudick added the managerial responsibilities in December of 1935 following the death of Sommers and remained an employee of the company for four decades.

Lillian Schierloh was also a long-time employee of the company. The daughter of Charles, she worked for the Sentinel for approximately 50 years, serving most of that time as a Linotype operator beginning with the installation of the first machine in 1919 and still working on the typesetting machines in the 1960s.

The Putnam Sentinel was purchased by the Hirt Publishing Company of Bellevue, Ohio, in 1984. The newspaper was later sold to Brown Publishing Company in 2005 and then DHI Media, Inc., of Delphos, in 2010.

Through all the changes of ownership and personnel, the Putnam County Sentinel has continued to serve the community by chronicling all the news, events, and people in the area.