Granite Publications being sold to its publisher

Nov 1, 2021

TAYLOR, Texas — Granite Publications, a collection of 10 nondaily newspapers and a printing operation in south Texas, is being sold to Daniel Philhower, the company’s publisher for the past five years. The transaction will be effective as of November 1.

Dirks, Van Essen & April, a media merger and acquisition firm based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, represented the Chionsini family in the transaction. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Granite Publications is owned by Macy Chionsini, the widow of the late Jim Chionsini. Jim began his career in newspaper ownership in 1978, acquiring numerous Texas newspapers throughout the years. Macy said it was Jim’s hope that one day the company would be sold to Daniel Philhower.

Before making his way to run Granite Publications, Daniel Philhower had a background in finance/accounting, asset management, business development and commercial real estate management and development. He lives in Taylor with his wife and two children.

Philhower said, “It's an honor to carry on the task of local journalism in these communities. Newspapers are key to the health and vitality of a local community, and I take the responsibility of carrying on what Jim has established in these communities very seriously.

“I am grateful to Macy for making the terms of the transaction work for me. We’ve established a strong team here at Granite with a motto of ‘ONE TEAM, ONE VISION, ONE GOAL.’ We plan to continue our efforts to grow our newspapers and serve our communities and customers well into the future. Community newspapers are still going strong, and we are honored to be part of the history in each of our communities.”