Роб Смит назначен главным редактором Orange County Business Journal

Rob Smith, a veteran journalist who has led award-winning business publications in the Pacific Northwest, has been named editor-in-chief of the Orange County Business Journal. Smith, whose previous roles include executive editor of Seattle Business magazine and editor-in-chief of the Portland Business Journal and Puget Sound Business Journal, will start Sept. 14. “Rob was introduced to me by an industry colleague more than 10 years ago as the best editor in the American City group – which consists of 40 local business journals. We have been in touch since that date and finally the stars aligned and we are delighted to give him the reins of the best business journal in the country,” OCBJ Publisher Richard Reisman said. Smith, who is relocating from Seattle to Orange County with his wife, described the Orange County economy as one of “great breadth,” calling the Business Journal an “indispensable resource” for the local business community. “Orange County is a world center of healthcare, medical devices, aerospace, defense-tech, space and satellites,” Smith said. “It also has a vibrant financial sector, with culture-driven consumer products that set global trends in apparel and restaurants. It’s where cutting-edge AI robotics is being developed.” Smith noted that the region is home to the world’s most successful master-planned community developer and exciting multibillion-dollar projects, including those near South Coast Plaza and around the Honda Center in Anaheim. “I’m excited to dive into this incredible business ecosystem,” he said. Leading Award-Winning Business Publications Smith’s editing career in the Pacific Northwest dates to the 1990s, when he served as executive editor of the Seattle Times Community News Group. He later became managing editor of the Puget Sound Business Journal before moving to Oregon, where he spent 11 years as editor-in-chief of the Portland Business Journal. In 2014, he returned to Seattle as editor-in-chief of the Puget Sound Business Journal. The publications won numerous awards under his leadership. Both publications are part of American City Business Journals, the largest publisher of metropolitan business newsweeklies in the U.S. The independently owned Orange County Business Journal and its sister publications in Southern California are not affiliated with the company. From 2018 to 2025, Smith served as executive editor of Seattle Business magazine, where he oversaw coverage of major companies including Amazon, Microsoft, Boeing, Starbucks and Costco. “Compelling business journalism must be sharp and deeply local,” Smith said. “The readers of the Orange County Business Journal run our companies and major institutions. They want to understand their community, who drives the capital and what their friends and neighbors are up to in their communities and work.” ‘Eager to Immerse Myself’ Smith said he wants to learn more about the industries driving OC’s economy and the entrepreneurial spirit shaping the region. “I am particularly eager to immerse myself in the biomedical and life sciences cluster, the evolution of commercial and luxury real estate, healthcare and higher education, defense, cybersecurity, philanthropy and the influx of new capital,” he said. “I’m interested in how major consumer and lifestyle brands are positioning themselves for the future.” Smith, a graduate of the University of Oregon, most recently spent a year as executive editor of Formidable Media, a media and membership company run by his wife, Emily Parkhurst. The company produces newsletters, content and podcasts for clients. He succeeds Peter J. Brennan, who worked at the Business Journal for a combined 13 years across two stints, including the past nine years in various editing roles and the past two as editor-in-chief. Prior to returning to OCBJ in 2017, Brennan spent nearly 15 years at Bloomberg, where he wrote market-moving news covering technology, banking, insurance and other publicly traded companies. Smith said he’ll build on the top-notch journalism Brennan led during his tenure while ensuring that OCBJ remains a must-read each week by “delivering scoops on major deals, leadership changes and philanthropy initiatives.” Rob Smith: An Award-Winning Record Under Rob Smith’s leadership, the Puget Sound Business Journal received 17 regional and three international awards over two years, while the Portland Business Journal earned 129 state and 13 national journalism awards. Smith won regional awards for editorial writing five times and a national editorial writing award in 2012. He received American City Business Journals’ Eagle Award for Excellence three times and has been honored 52 times for his journalistic excellence by the Washington and Oregon Newspaper Publishers Associations, the Society of American Business Editors and Writers and Society of Professional Journalists.