Former publisher to be inducted into Bluegrass Business Hall of Fame
Rufus Friday, former publisher of the Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader, will be inducted into the Bluegrass Business Hall of Fame on May 23. Sponsored by Junior Achievement of the Bluegrass, JA Business Hall of Fame is a celebration that provides Junior Achievement the opportunity to recognize the state's most respected leaders for their commitment to and investment in the community.
Friday joined the Lexington Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com media company in June 2011 as the seventh president and publisher in its history, after serving six and a half years as president and publisher at the Tri-City Herald in Kennewick, Wash. He stepped down from his post in mid-September of 2018.
Friday led the Herald-Leader through a time of challenges and digital transformation in the nation's news media. In his time as publisher, the Herald-Leader expanded its digital footprint, and its journalists won numerous awards for excellence, including winning first place for General Excellence among large newspapers in the Kentucky Press Association's Excellence in Kentucky Newspaper's awards this year. The newspaper also won several McClatchy President's Awards, the company's top honor for journalism excellence.
He has been active in the community and spearheaded the Together Lexington project, an initiative to create a positive community marketing campaign and secure funding for legacy projects from a group of business and community leaders. In addition, he served on the board of directors for the United Way of the Bluegrass, the American Heart Association-Central Kentucky, the Bluegrass Community Foundation, the Lexington Industrial Foundation and the Hope Center.
The JA Business Hall of Fame laureates are part of a league of outstanding individuals who have made legendary contributions to the free enterprise system. Through their actions and accomplishments, the Business Hall of Fame laureates provide inspiration for the next generation as they take the reins of leadership in the years to come.
The induction ceremony will take place the Keeneland Race Course Entertainment Center.
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