By Lora Carroll/The Leeds News

There is a new face at The Leeds News, but for many it may be one that is not so unfamiliar. Margaret Isenhower joined the staff last week and said she could not be happier to begin this new chapter in her life as the newspaper’s advertising director. She admitted she has been in this area her whole life, so what better way to make a living than doing something right in the heart of her hometown. “I love the area,” she said. “I love its people and its businesses. I raised my children here and my grandchildren were raised and educated here. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. This is where my heart is.”

In fact, Isenhower has not moved from the area, including Odenville and the surrounding cities, since birth. She had a shop called the Old House on Parkway Drive where, for many years, she sold antiques. After owning the shop, she entered the real estate world where she stayed for 28 years working in sales throughout eastern Alabama. She said she is now ready to try something a little different. “I’ve studied business and took classes at Birmingham Southern, UAB and Jeff State,” she said. “I have always wanted to work in sales and I have always enjoyed it, so I think I will enjoy being able to use my knowledge here as well. When I heard about the opening, I immediately came this way. I just knew it was something I would enjoy doing.”

Isenhower will be developing, implementing and managing The Leeds News advertising strategy. She said her advertising plans include finding something that will help every business. She added that one strategy might not be right for one business, but could be the exact fit for another and she said her focus is not to just sell an ad in the paper, but to help promote the businesses that make Leeds, Moody and Odenville great. “I want to help advertisers stretch their dollars,” she said. “I want to be someone people can count on. I have been on both sides and I know how bad it can get for merchants in a tight economy, but you can’t hide or give up. There is something that will and can work for every advertiser out there.”

“I really feel like I’ll enjoy working with the people who are in business in this area,” she said. “Some I already know. I genuinely feel like I can help them, considering I have been in business myself and I know the importance of advertising.”

She said she would not like to focus on how bad the economy is, but more on how good business can be. She added she also plans on finding out what The Leeds News can do by working together to make every advertising dollar count. “Working together we can make a difference,” she said.

She added that when merchants advertise in The Leeds News, they also advertise in the St. Clair News-Aegis under a partnership the papers have formed. So, advertising locally is a plus and there is “more bang for the buck.”

Isenhower lives in Leeds. She has three children- Glenn Isenhower, Elaine Stevenson and John Isenhower. She also has seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. She said in her spare time is spent with her loved ones and she enjoys music and travel. Her favorite trip so far has been a getaway to Athens, Greece, but she also said that promises of a trip to the Greek Islands are on the list as her next big adventure.

“Keeping a positive attitude is very important to me,” she said.