Meet the new owner of The Botetourt Bee:

I am sure there are lots of questions about this transition; hopefully, this will answer most of them.

First and foremost, Cathy Benson has retired from The Botetourt Bee to spend more time with her grandchildren. I wish her the best and would like to sincerely thank her for trusting me with The Botetourt Bee.

A bit about myself: I grew up in Arcadia. I went to Buchanan Elementary, William Clark Middle (now Central Academy), and James River High School. When I was at James River, I was the Editor-in-Chief of James River’s first Art and Literary Magazine, Currents. I attended college at Longwood University, where I received a Bachelor’s Degree in English and worked on the student editorial board and the school newspaper. For the past decade, I was employed with a major outdoor retailer, working closely with the creative, PR, and social media departments.

I have in my living room an original print of the 1965 J.R. Hildebrand Historical Map of Botetourt County. It reminds me of my roots and my deep love of Botetourt County.

What’s staying the same? The Botetourt Bee will continue to report on local news. I will focus on local facts for local people. I intend to use the platform to promote community events, amplify the voice of small businesses, and serve the readers of The Botetourt Bee to the best of my ability.

What’s changing? There will be a relaunch of The Botetourt Bee coming soon. The look and website may look different, but the goal remains the same: to nurture what is good about Botetourt County and the citizens who live here. I plan to update and ‘reset’ The Botetourt Bee’s Social Media channels.  

Will The Botetourt Bee remain free? It is still a business. Covering news takes time, and in order to survive, it has to make money. I hope that paid ads from the community will be enough.

Please reach out to me at editor@thebotetourtbee.com with any questions. 

Keep Buzzing,
Tanner Keith

Photo by Tanner Keith