Dayle Pennell has been named the new General Sales Manager for the Journal Tribune.

Pennell will continue to represent Saco and areas north, and will handle major house accounts and strategic local accounts. She will also assist in training new personnel and will work closely with Publisher Bruce Hardina on special sections and to identify new adversting opportunities.

Hardina said he’s excited at what he and Pennell will be able to accomplish together.

“She’s worked really hard her three years at the Journal Tribune,” he said.

“She’s really earned this promotion.”

Pennell has nearly 34 years of experience in the field of newspaper advertising. Pennell retired from the Portland Press Herald in 2006 after working at the paper for about 30 years.

“I vowed never to come back in the industry,” she said.

However, after some time away, she found herself in the advertising department in the Journal Tribune in 2012.

“It’s in my blood,” she said. Her father, she said, worked for the Portland Press Herald for 25 years, and served as the advertising director.

Pennell said she’s seen many changes over the years in the industry. At the Portland Press Herald, she began in classifieds, when there were few women in advertising, and worked her way up to major account sales representative. When she started, the paper used hot metal typesetting.

Pennell said she enjoys working at a community newspaper because there is a lot more interaction with other departments.

“I’m a newbie to Saco. I moved here in 2010,” she said. “I like the little-town feel … there’s a lot going on, a lot happening, a lot of movement.”

Pennell is an avid reader, and enjoys historical romance and autobiographies.

She is active in Saco Spirit and the local networking group Profit Seekers, and also regularly attends the Biddeford-Saco Chamber of Commerce and Industry business after hours events.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or [email protected].