Meet the staff: Guy Heilenman, our President…

March 9, 2009 by · 4 Comments 

guy_2008After many years of teaching in the Lancaster, Penna. area, Guy was in search of a new professional challenge. Timing was great for both Guy and “Hughes Rare Newspapers” as he found his way to Williamsport and his challenge was found.

Guy is the President of our 33 year-old rare newspaper company and has brought with him an enthusiastic attitude and many fresh and exciting ideas to carry our business into the 21st century.

Any who have spoken with him cannot help but impressed with his polite, caring personality. Cultivating customer loyalty and maintaining the integrity of the business are foremost among his duties, while developing additional channels for selling and marketing newspapers challenge his creative side. Guy is a great fit for our unique business and the many progressive changes initiated in recent years are due to his efforts.

It was six years ago that Guy moved his family to Williamsport. Along with his wife Laura, they have six children—Eve, Joshua, Rebekah, Sarah, Hannah & Rachel–aged 7 thru 18, so to call him a family man is an understatement. Despite the workload and extra hours the business requires it is rare that Guy does not have his family off on a weekend adventure in this scenic part of Pennsylvania. During the summer months camping is a favorite activity, but we who stay home cringe when he schedules an outings because we know it will be rainy, windy, or cold—or likely all three.

Several of his older children are part-time employees of our newspaper business, handling much of the background and photography work which is so important to our success. They are always a pleasure to have among us.

While not attending to business and family priorities Guy is very much involved in his church community. His faith is a central focus of not only his life but that of his entire extended family. It is with this foundation that his personality of caring and concern permeates all that he does and, most certainly, is evident to our customers who have dealt with him.

Guy and his family are a pleasure to have with us. Be sure to say “hello” to Guy the next time you give us a call. Both you and he will be glad you did.

A little monkey business… and food for thought…

December 30, 2008 by · Leave a Comment 

About a week ago we “unveiled” our office manager, Doreen Mileto, for the world to see. The feedback received was greatly appreciated. In the post we mentioned one of her talents – adviser to Paula Dean (or was it Betty Crocker? or Susie Homemaker?). Today she blessed us with another opportunity for personal growth – Monkey Bread. In an effort to share the wealth, we’ve included a link to the recipe recipe for your personal enjoyment.

Monkey Bread: http://www.momswhothink.com/easy-recipes/monkey-bread-recipe.html

A healthy portion (or two) goes well with a fresh cup of coffee while digesting the hidden nuggets within a 19th century newspaper. The combination will help you reminisce about days gone by (or at least the past year). Perhaps you have a classic recipe to share with the Rare Newspapers community???  Regardless, enjoy the Monkey Bread.  Happy New Year from the staff of Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers.  Good wishes for a healthy and blessed 2009.

Meet the staff: Doreen Mileto… Office Manager Extraordinaire…

December 17, 2008 by · 4 Comments 

Doreen – Office Manager

Doreen is typically the first and front-line person to make personal contact with you, whether it is by phone or by email. Her life at Rare Newspapers is never boring as it is comprised of all types of duties… a true “Girl-Friday” (woman-Friday???). First and foremost, she is the office manager. She also takes and processes customer orders. She answers messages that are received through both the regular email and the eBay message board. Another aspect her job is the writing of item descriptions and photographing issues for the website, as time prevails.

Playing “sleuth” is another role that she undertakes.

“One of my greatest pleasures is in finding hidden family treasures for our clients which have been buried within our archives for decades… just waiting to be found.  When time permits, I put on my detective’s hat and head to the stacks.  It’s also a disappointment when the need content cannot be located.  I hate to disappoint.” Doreen

The most difficult task asked of her is when someone wants her to “select something for them”, i.e, a recommendation.  The rare newspaper hobby is so varied, and is grounded so deeply within a person’s personal interests, making such selections is almost impossible.

As for the more personal side of Doreen… She is a wife, a mother of two, a grandmother of three, and a person who simply enjoys life to the fullest.  She belongs to a small group of women who love to sing at various church events, and takes great pleasure in reaching out to the local community.

Doreen at work…

One of the greatest drawbacks of having Doreen on staff is her incredible ability to bake some of the most scrumptious cakes, pies, etc., and has a propensity for “celebrating” every possible staff birthday, holiday, anniversary, and more.  We’ve all had to double our exercising efforts to burn off the calories, and if you’ve kept an eye on our annual staff photos, you can see some of us have had only minor success.

Doreen is a treat to have as part of the Rare Newspapers’ Team!  She is truly my right arm…  and perhaps a little of my left.

Meet the Staff – Timothy J. Hughes – Founder

September 17, 2008 by · 17 Comments 

Much can be read and said about Tim Hughes, the collector:

  • He began collecting coins as a child and quickly became disgruntled with the exuberant prices, which led him to search for an unexploited but interesting collectible.  It was this search which helped launch his interest in and love for rare newspapers.

“I wanted to find a hobby that dealt with old things that hadn’t been exploited, that people really didn’t know much about. My thinking was that if it was a hobby that hadn’t been exploited, the prices would be fairly right.”

  • He began Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers in 1976, working part-time from his home. By 1989, the business had grown such that he left his job with Little League Baseball to devote his efforts full-time to the collecting and selling of historic newspapers.

“Whatever money I made selling newspapers, I bought more. It just started snowballing. Eventually I needed to find another location and was able to secure the site of my father’s former saw-sharpening business.  It brings me great pleasure to have built the business on the same spot which solicits fond memories of my childhood.  My father, who contributes to the business on a part-time basis, still has the opportunity to see the reward of his labor.”

  • During the next 20 years the business continued to grow – staff were added, warehouses were annexed to the existing facility, the private collection grew, and rare newspaper friends were made.  Eventually Tim decided to sell a majority interest in the company to a group of investors from Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  Guy Heilenman was brought in as a part-owner and president, and received 9 months of intensive training from Tim.  Although Tim’s intention was to retire, his love for the hobby proved to be too great.  As a result, Tim continues to retain part ownership and works as a full-time consultant and part-time contributor to the daily activities of the business.  His input is invaluable.

“I’ve always loved this.  It’s something that I started from scratch on my own and because I loved it, it’s just been fun. I’ve been very fortunate. I consider myself one of the few people who really loves their work.”

But what about Tim Hughes, the person? He is a family man who dearly loves his wife (Chris) and son (Ben).  He is a man of faith who pours himself regularly into the lives of the young people at his church.  He continually looks for ways to give back to the community as evidenced by his current and past board appointments to Little League Baseball and North Central Sight Services (a non-profit association helping to meet the needs of the visually impaired).  He is also a man of integrity and a loyal friend.  Although his knowledge of the hobby is recognized around the world, his humility and love for the collectible continues to fuel ways to enhance the rare newspaper community.

His expertise, sincerity, loyalty and love of the hobby will all be reflected in his blog post contributions.  We are both honored and privileged to have him.