Photo: Bailey’s 1st Breeze delivery, with the Help of McCoy and his “frunk”

The reason The Breeze began 15 years ago is the same reason I’m publishing it today. Lake Anna deserved its own voice.

When Ed Blount launched The Breeze in September 2011, he wasn’t chasing breaking news or competing with daily headlines. He was building something intentional, much like the homes and boathouses he spent decades creating around the lake.

Even then, Lake Anna was already drawing enormous attention. A place this close to Washington, D.C., welcoming thousands of visitors each year, deserved more than a passing mention in regional news.
Ed believed that news here should feel like the lake itself: easy, thoughtful, and enjoyable. The Breeze was never meant to rush stories. It was meant to hold them. To cover a wide range of topics, reflect the rhythm of lake life, and give the community space to actually absorb what was happening around them. The goal was never just reporting; it was perspective. A collective view of the region and the people who call it home.

In 2019, The Breeze entered its next chapter when it was purchased by Jim McCoy, someone who loved Lake Anna as deeply as Ed did.

Jim once said, “My favorite thing about running The Breeze was being involved with the community; specifically business owners and entrepreneurs.”

Then, two years ago, something unexpected happened.

I wasn’t looking to buy The Breeze. I wasn’t shopping for a newspaper. It quite literally landed in my lap. And somehow, instantly, it made sense.

I realized I had spent my entire career preparing for this moment. I earned my degree in journalism. I trained as a young adult at The Bakersfield Californian, learning the discipline of reporting, storytelling, and respecting the responsibility that comes with publishing. And over the years, my work kept circling back to the same truth: communities are built through stories.

This November marked two years since I officially became the publisher of The Breeze. And every month since, the reason it exists has become even clearer to me.

My favorite part of The Breeze is learning people’s stories. Sitting with them. Understanding where they came from, what they’ve built, what they’ve lost, and what they still hope for. Some of those stories still make me tear up, even after years in journalism. And the new stories? Just as good!

Watching this community take shape: new businesses, new families, new ideas, has been something truly special. There’s a sense of momentum here, rooted in connection rather than speed. That’s rare. And it’s worth documenting.

Fifteen years in, The Breeze remains exactly what it was meant to be: real stories, written here, for the people who live them. And I’m honored to be carrying it forward.

Jen Bailey

Hi! I’m Jennifer Bailey and I partner with entrepreneurs who have massive ideas that could change the world. Most marketing is meaningless. Filled with empty promises, its only job is to bring in new traffic, new leads, and new customers. But I’ve drawn a line in the sand, and I’ve learned that marketing can do so much more than reach business goals and build profit. My methods give businesses the fire and soul they need to reach the right people, set the groundwork for sustainable relationships, and offer true value to the people on both the giving and receiving ends of marketing.

Read more about me here