Beth Stringer launched the premier issue of Decatur Magazine in January 2000. Creating a strategic business model now emulated throughout Central Illinois, Stringer paired her knowledge of the community with an arsenal of personal contacts to publish a glossy, full color city-centric magazine written and designed from an insider’s perspective. The collaboration between Stringer and her highly cultivated team of local freelance contributors, photographers and graphic designers has resulted in the increased popularity of the magazine and an opportunity for advertisers to reach the sought after market of affluent and influential readers in the metro Decatur area.

In 2005, Stringer obtained the rights to publish the Official Decatur/Forsyth Visitor's Guide in cooperation with the Decatur Area Convention and Visitor's Bureau. After completing a total re-design, the guide is published twice each year and distributed across the state of Illinois through tourist information centers, local hotels and conventions, and corporate relocation departments.

In May 2007, the first edition of Decatur: Illinois' Central City was released. Written and designed by the Decatur Magazine creative team, the 200-page coffee table book highlights Decatur's unique history and vision for the future as a collaborative effort with the Greater Decatur Chamber of Commerce to promote the city's quality of life.

Stringer began her career in publishing in 1995. She launched the Business Journal of Mid-Central Illinois as a monthly specialty publication in her position as general manager of the Prairie Shopper, a division of Lee Enterprises. On a shoestring budget, with only two contributing writers, the publication quickly became a valuable resource for local business and has continued in the Decatur market over twelve years.

Beth Stringer graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1976 with a bachelor’s degree in education. Twenty years of sales and marketing experience with companies such as Bachrach’s, John Q. Hammons, Panasonic and Southwestern Bell, provided the expertise required for effective organizational planning, team-building and customer relations.

Stringer currently serves on the board of directors for the Greater Decatur Chamber of Commerce, Millikin-Decatur Executive Association, and the Mid-Illinois Chapter of the American Red Cross. Previous board appointments include the Decatur Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra Guild, Downtown Decatur Council and Oakwood Business Association.

Born and raised in Decatur, Stringer has three grown children. Her leisure time is balanced between community service, travel, and an occasional round of golf.

email: publisher@decaturmagazine.com