It’s time to celebrate! Our Newtown Square Friends & Neighbors magazine is turning EIGHT this month, and as I sat down to reflect on the past 96 issues, I found myself thinking about all the people, families, organizations and stories that have filled our pages since August 2018. We have introduced you to remarkable residents, honored hometown heroes, celebrated student achievements, supported local organizations and shared the history that makes Newtown Square such a special place to call home.
But this year, as we celebrate eight years of Bringing People Together, we want to shine the spotlight on the people who have made every single issue possible: our advertising Sponsors.
From the very beginning, our Publisher, Bob Blaisse, has reminded our team and our readers that our free monthly publication exists because local business owners chose to invest in our community. In fact, Bob first needed the support of Charter Advertising Sponsors before Newtown Square Friends & Neighbors could receive the green light to launch eight years ago.
Those Charter Advertising Sponsors took a chance on a brand new hometown magazine. They believed in Bob’s vision and in a mission built around three simple words: Bringing People Together. Eight years later, that commitment is still at the heart of everything we do. The magazine continues to connect neighbors and local businesses through positive, family-friendly stories and practical, useful information.
That connection would not exist without our Sponsors. Over the years, we have often written about the importance of shopping local. We encourage our readers to look through the pages of the magazine when they need a plumber, electrician, landscaper, accountant, caterer, dance studio, flooring specialist, auto service professional or any number of other services. These businesses are not simply purchasing advertising space. Their support funds the stories you enjoy reading each month.
Some of our Sponsors have been with us for many years, like Casey’s Public House. “The Crisanti and Graham families have lived in Newtown Square for over 70 years and have businesses in town for over 50,” said Casey’s co-owner Andrew Crisanti. “We are proud to be a part of this community and are so thankful for all the great families that have contributed to our lasting success over the years.” Andrew added that it has been great to Sponsor the Student of the Month feature in the magazine. “Bob Blaisse and my father Pete go back many years, and Bob and his team do a great job with all things Newtown Square! Cheers to many more years to come in our beautiful town!”
Long-time Sponsor, Luigi & Giovanni is also happy to support our mission. “The community needed your magazine, and you have delivered 100%,” said co-owners John and Lou. “We are proud to have a business in Newtown Square, and thank you for helping us stay in touch with all the new residents and businesses. God bless Newtown Square, the community and America.”
Others have joined our magazine family more recently. You may recall seeing The Cao Family: Tim, Rebekah and their five children on our February 2026 cover. It wasn’t long after that feature that Tim, owner of Trustwell Heating & Cooling, joined us as an advertising Sponsor. “I love that Trustwell is supporting our hometown magazine so the stories of the town can be shared with everyone,” Tim said. “I like reading about new neighbors every month and finding out about the interesting people that live in Newtown Square.” And just like the Crisantis and the Grahams, the
Cao family has a long history in our community. Tim grew up here and graduated from Marple Newtown High School. “There have been many
of my classmates from high school that have been featured in the magazine, and now my kids recognize their friends that have appeared in
the magazine too!”
Many Sponsors have also shared their knowledge as Expert Contributors. Month after month, our readers receive practical advice from local professionals who understand the needs of the people who live here. As someone who began my own involvement with the magazine as a Sponsor and Expert Contributor through From the Top Studio of Dance, I understand the value of that relationship from both sides. I loved the idea of supporting
other local businesses while sharing information from my own area of expertise.
When I interview our Sponsors for Business Profile features, one thing is clear. These are people who care deeply about their work and the communities they serve. They live here, their children attend our schools, they coach youth sports, contribute to community events and shop at other neighborhood businesses. Each business has a different story, but there is a common thread. Behind every logo and every advertisement is a person, a family or a team working hard to build something meaningful. When you read about a local family, learn the history of an 18th-century home, discover a community event or see a deserving student recognized for an achievement, a local business helped make that story possible.
Over the past year, those stories have continued to show the incredible range of people and organizations that make Newtown Square special. Organizations that need our support like Newtown Edgmont Little League, Newtown Square Petticoat League, the Newtown Square Fire Company, Limitless Sports and our local schools. In June, we celebrated Paul Seligson as our 2026 Newtown Square Friend & Neighbor of the Year, an annual tradition that honors an individual’s work, dedication and support of our community. “I am seeing more and more the pleasure on residents’ faces when we have Community Events celebrating something bigger than the sum of ourselves,” Paul remarked.
We also continued our commitment to preserving and sharing local history. Doug Humes writes our History Spotlight articles and has introduced readers to fascinating people and places from Newtown Square’s past. “My favorite part is beginning with the nub of an idea about a person, place or event, then researching and shaping it into an illustrated local-history story. It is especially rewarding to see the finished article in print and to hear from readers who enjoy learning about their community’s past.”
These are the stories we are privileged to tell. And our Sponsors make it possible for us to tell them. We cannot thank them enough for their loyalty and commitment over the years. The success of Newtown Square Friends & Neighbors is often measured by the number of issues we have published, the families we have featured or the stories we have shared. But behind all those numbers are local business owners who believed this community deserved its own hometown magazine.
Bob understood that from the beginning. In 2018, when Best Version Media co-founder Dave Durand invited Bob to join the company, Bob agreed and began by launching magazines in his own hometown communities. Having lived here with his wife, Jean, and raised their four sons in the Marple Newtown community, Bob knew exactly where he wanted to begin.
His success did not go unnoticed. Best Version Media named Bob its 2018 Rookie Publisher of the Year, and just two years later, he was named BVM’s 2020 Publisher of the Year from among the company’s hundreds of magazines throughout North America.
For those of us who work alongside Bob, those honors are easy to understand. Our expert Designer, Kim Cesati, is the creative force behind our magazines. Every month, Kim is challenged not only to fit all of our features and ads into a specific page count, but also to make each monthly magazine more beautiful than the last. “I love the variety of my work and the ability to be creative,” she explained. “My favorite part of the magazine work is bringing visions together.” When asked what she wishes more people knew about what she does for the magazine? “It’s quite a jigsaw puzzle;
fitting everything onto the pages is not always as easy as it seems!”
Lisa Jeffries joined our team five years ago as Executive Assistant to the Publisher and said she never imagined how many new skills she would gain. “From producing content for our magazine websites to helping Bob create blog posts, I’ve had the opportunity to expand my knowledge in ways I never expected. It’s been an incredibly rewarding experience, both professionally and personally.”
Lisa added that she truly enjoys working with the magazines because she learns something new about our community every day. “One of the most rewarding parts of my job is building relationships with our Expert Contributors. I love getting to know them, learning what makes their businesses unique and helping them share their expertise through their articles.”
My fellow Content Coordinator, Holly Stupak, manages content for Marple Friends & Neighbors, but she and I often work together to bring stories to life for both magazines. “I love getting to talk to people in the community whom I may not have met otherwise. It’s fun to hear how people met, how
they started their careers and the ways they like to be involved in the community,” she said. “I especially enjoy highlighting those who quietly make a difference.” One thing that Holly would really love is to hear from more of our readers with feature family and story suggestions. “Many of our favorite stories have come from reader suggestions!”
Bringing People Together in this wonderful community allows our team to actively foster connections, promote a sense of togetherness and contribute to a thriving community.
Bob is passionate about this mission of Bringing People Together. He is equally passionate about supporting the Sponsors who support our magazines. He is always thinking about ways to connect local businesses with residents and ways our publications can better serve the community.
What began with two hometown magazines in 2018 has continued to grow. Today, Bob publishes Newtown Square Friends & Neighbors, Marple Friends & Neighbors and Newtown Edgmont Friends & Neighbors publications, in print and online, that collectively reach thousands of homes every month.
But despite that growth and recognition, Bob never loses sight of where it all started. It started with local business owners saying yes. Yes, we believe
in this community, we want to support positive local stories and want to help recognize our neighbors. Yes, we want to be part of Bringing People Together. Our Sponsors said yes, and as a result, 96 issues of Newtown Square Friends & Neighbors have made their way into local mailboxes.
Chairman of the Newtown Township Board of Supervisors, Leonard Altieri, III, Esq. is no stranger to our community and our magazine. A lot has changed since he and his wife, Franca, were newlyweds on our cover in February, 2020, as they have since welcomed a beautiful daughter, Lucia, to their family. When asked to share his thoughts about our anniversary, Leonard said:
“Congratulations to Newtown Square Friends & Neighbors on celebrating eight incredible years of serving our community! For the past eight years, the magazine has done far more than share stories — it has helped strengthen the fabric of Newtown Square.
Thank you for your dedication to fostering a stronger, more connected community. Wishing you continued success and many more years of telling the stories that make Newtown Square such a wonderful place to call home. Congratulations on this remarkable milestone!”
This year, the message is simple. Thank you. Thank you to the Charter Sponsors who believed in Bob’s vision before the first issue ever arrived in a mailbox. Thank you to the longtime Sponsors who have continued to support us year after year. Thank you to the new Sponsors who have recently joined our magazine family. Thank you to our Expert Contributors who generously share their knowledge and experience with our readers.
Most importantly, thank you for believing that local stories matter. To our readers, we ask that you join us in thanking these businesses by supporting them whenever possible. When you need a product or service, take a look through the pages of this magazine and visit our Sponsor directory at NewtownSquareMag.com. Tell them you saw them in our magazine. Let them know you appreciate their support of a publication dedicated to celebrating our hometown. Because when our Sponsors succeed, they can continue to support the community we all love.
So, what lies ahead as we enter our ninth year of Bringing People Together? More families to meet. More hometown heroes to honor. More history to uncover. More students to celebrate. More businesses to introduce and more stories waiting to be told.
On behalf of Bob and our entire magazine team, thank you to our Sponsors, our Expert Contributors, our readers and our friends and neighbors for eight incredible years.
Here’s to 96 issues, countless connections and a community that continues to give us so many reasons to be proud. Cheers to Eight Years of Bringing People Together!