Business Press to premiere new look on Jan. 5

On Jan. 5, the Las Vegas Business Press will debut a re-engineered weekly print edition.

Through the summer and fall, a readership survey and several focus groups provided insight into what readers in the business community were seeking in a publication serving the business-to-business market.

Starting with the Jan. 5 edition, the Business Press’ glossy cover and the square magazine format will be gone. Instead, the Business Press will be published in a larger tabloid format that looks and feels more like a newspaper.

And, it’ll have new features inside:

■ Each week, the Focus section will look at a specific industry in a combination of stories and columns from guest experts.

■ A page called Learning Curve will help readers get better at what they do. Jim Pawlak’s BizBooks column will be a recurring theme, and it’ll be joined by a mix of stories and columns offering business tips.

■ People are the universal driver of business and the Business Press will add more profiles of businesspeople. Some will be C-suite executives. Some will be startup innovators. Some will be small-business owners and entrepreneurs.

■ The first week of each month, the publication will take a closer look at one of the area’s distinct neighborhoods. First up is a look at hospitality and the Strip. In subsequent months, the focus will be on Summerlin and Henderson, North Las Vegas and downtown.

■ A mix of guest columns will be added as experts from across the valley — and sometimes beyond — will share their thoughts. The Talking Points series will look at broad subjects that cross industry lines. In Expert Corner, columnists will deliver topical information specific to an industry, often in combination with the Focus topic.

■ The publication’s list-gathering processes are getting an upgrade with new software and a renewed emphasis on accuracy, thoroughness and credibility.

■ The redesign adds a commentary page, where staff and guest writers will discuss issues affecting the business community.

■ A number of features, insider columns, 5Q interviews, Snapshot, will continue in the new format.

That first week in January also will see the launch of the website — businesspress.vegas — that separates Business Press content from that of the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s business section.

The Business Press will start producing a daily stream of local news of interest to the business community and will begin daily e-newsletter and Twitter and Facebook postings.

“It’s an exciting new beginning for our staff, our readers and the business community,” Business Press Editor Norman Bell said. “While the publication has been serving the community for more than 30 years, it feels more than a little like a startup opportunity.”

Both the Review-Journal and the Business Press are part of Stephens Media.