and information for a town that only had monthly newspapers was an immediate game-changer for the community.” The concept was to follow the online news site with a weekly printed publication, but it became obvious the printed and online products were competing with one another. As a result, the InMaricopa Magazine that now fills Maricopans’ mailboxes each month first got its pages glossed in 2006 as a quarterly publication. A monthly newspaper would follow in 2009 in addition to the quarterly magazine. In 2016, the publications were consolidated into the monthly magazine we all know today. But, if you were to travel back in time, you’d see the magazine and website were called 85239, the city’s zipcode at the time. The problem, however, came when the U.S. Postal Service started adding and eventually changing the ZIP code as the town quickly became a city. Just a few years after starting the company, the Postal Service split the city into two codes down John Wayne Parkway, using 85239 and 85238. Then all the 852 codes were transferred from Pinal to Maricopa County and Bartle took action. “OK,” Bartle remembered thinking at the time. “I’d better take my brand out of the hands of the U.S. Postal Service. That’s when we came up with InMaricopa.” A primetime player arrives A key moment in the operation’s history came in 2017 when co-owner Vince Manfredi joined the team. “Vince is a terrific partner. He’s really good with people and smart,” Bartle said. “Some of his strengths are my weaknesses and vice versa. We complement each other well. He’s made a big difference, not just
we started an online newspaper.” The news website quickly took off and became the real-time news center for the rapidly growing city. InMaricopa represented change, which meant asking difficult questions and holding leaders accountable. However, some in the community were determined to keep the status quo. “In retrospect, I wish I had a better sense of the mindset of small-town Maricopa,” Bartle said. “Many were not only resistant to the change we brought to the market, they proactively sabotaged our efforts. I’d like to think there would have been a better and less stressful way to navigate those relationships.” Bartle didn’t have much to throw at the business other than grit, determination and as he put it, a “stubbornness and a refusal to fail.” He knew it was a high-growth market and if he “could just get up on the surfboard, the wave of development would get me to shore.” Bartle is modest about his sacrifices but admits to putting quite a bit of sweat equity into the enterprise. Those early days were lean. “I didn’t sacrifice much — just my 30s and early 40s,” Bartle quipped. “It was all-in for a very long time. There were weeks I clocked 40 hours before breakfast Wednesday. There was a seemingly infinite amount to do and no money to pay for help, so working until I couldn’t see straight was the rule, not the exception.” The vision takes flight The word got out about 85239.com, which during those days bore the moniker “Maricopa’s Homepage.” The buzz on the street was palpable. “As soon as we launched 85239.com, it was clear our model was a winner,” Bartle said. “The immediacy of our news
“I didn’t sacrifice much — just my 30s and early 40s.” Scott Bartle, publisher
EDUCaTION Kids ‘get fit’with Arizona Cardinals’Keilen Dykes. Page 18
www.InMaricopa.com
ers Day
JAKE JOHNSON
BY THE NUMBErS Maricopa daily commuters
25
30
35 Source: InMaricopa.com Survey
21
InMaricopa.com/NewResidentGuide • New Resident & Visitor Guide 2024
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