Texas biz reporter leaves paper

Karina Ramirez, a business reporter for the Denton Record-Chronicle in Texas, has left the paper. Her last day was Friday

Ramirez writes, “Few people knew it was only just last year that I got hired as a full-time reporter. And few of them also knew that I did not live in town. The best thing I did for myself was to tell you that I did not live here. And because you love me so, you provided me with a lot of e-mails and a lot of tips. For that I am grateful.

“I became a business columnist officially on May 24, 2009. By then, Dawn Cobb had taken the position as managing editor and one day — without asking me — put my face on the business column.

“‘You had been writing the column anyway,’ she said with a grand smile on her face. My first reply was, ‘What are you doing?’ Cobb will resume the previous column spot next weekend, and I am sure she will make me look good.

“In my time as a columnist, I have featured hundreds of businesses and business owners. My goal was to tell you their story to the best of my ability. Through the column you have followed PJ’s Party Supply, Bookkeeper Girl (now on its fourth location) and Brad Mann’s car wash, and we have even celebrated the anniversaries of Acme Brick and DATCU and the openings of almost every business at Unicorn Lake, Rayzor Ranch and Golden Triangle Mall.

“Along with the column, I have also been the keeper of the weekly business profiles. A total of 321 people have been featured in a business profile (on the left of Page 1D) since I became part of the paper. My first business profile subject was Aida Zihuatanejo, who was then the marketing director at Golden Triangle Mall.”

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