John Garrett, CEO, Community Impact Newspaper

John and Jennifer Garrett launched the first edition of Community Impact Newspaper in 2005 from the game room of their home with three full-time employees covering the Round Rock and Pflugerville edition near Austin, Texas. Today, Community Impact Newspaper has more than 240 employees and 33 hyperlocal editions of the newspaper across Texas, Arizona, Tennessee, and Georgia delivered monthly to more than 2.7 million homes and businesses. Additionally, the Garretts opened up a state-of-the-art printing facility in 2016. John has received many awards for his work, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the nonprofit RecognizeGood for ethics in business and community, an “Excellence in Leadership” honoree from Concordia University Texas, and was named the Best Small Business CEO from the Austin Business Journal. The company has received numerous awards for outstanding journalism, design, and digital innovation. Before starting Community Impact Newspaper, John held leadership positions at the Houston Chronicle and the Austin Business Journal. John grew up in north Austin and graduated from Pflugerville High School in 1993. He graduated cum laude from Sam Houston State University with a bachelor of fine arts in radio and television. While a Senior at Sam Houston, he was awarded the Creager Award, given to the male student who contributes the most to overall student life, and in 2010 was named a Distinguished Young Alumnus. John is married to Jennifer, and they have three daughters, Mollie, Ruby and Sophie, and live in Round Rock. They are active members of Cityview Bible Church. Over the years, John has served on many boards, including the Round Rock Area Serving Center, The Greater Austin Chamber, and as Chair of the Round Rock Chamber.