Nothing Goes According To Plan, Nothing Worthwhile Anyway
By Kristen Conti
Thrown into the depths of journalistic prowess only two weeks after graduating from college, Rich Kleban tackled the newsroom head first, committing to serving the people from a bright and early age. But he didn’t stop there.
The current Senior Vice President & Chief Operating Officer at the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce, always had dreams to muscle the art of storytelling through journalism. After years and years of involvement in different aspects of the business, stemming from working at the sportsdesk to editing the Poughkeepsie Journal, Kleban found his place, where he has been stationed ever since: seated right at the heart of the Dutchess County Chamber of Commerce, working daily to properly serve the lives of residents.
Born in New York City and residing in Westchester County, Kleban attended Lehigh University, where he majored in business, taking after his father who was an accountant. However, after delving in the business atmosphere for a few years, he came to the realization that dabbing in journalism was the best route for his own personal success. “I started out being a sports writer and I worked my way up to being editor in chief during my last semester there,” said Kleban, discussing his involvement in the campus newspaper.
Just two weeks after he graduated from college, Kleban joined the Journal News team as a copy editor in their hub in White Plains, New York. He spent four years working on news design aspects for the paper and then became their “sports guy,” as Kleban called it, which was his true passion. “Working on a paper that covered all the New York City teams was like a dream come true,” Kleban added.
Supervising 12 people at only 24 years of age for five whole years at a paper he adored doing a job he loved, was a place Kleban never thought he would reach. He spent three years assisting editing managers during all hours of the night and weekends for the production of the Journal News. Right after September 11, 2001, Kleban became the managing editor at the Poughkeepsie Journal.
In 2008, when the economy started to tank, newspapers began to undergo a tremendous change. After managing the Poughkeepsie Journal for about 8 years, and working in news for 21 years, Kleban’s job at the Journal was eliminated. “That turned out to be the best thing that could have happened to me,” said Kleban. “I didn’t know it then.”
At that point, Kleban and his family moved to Dutchess County and Kleban involved himself in the Dutchess County Community, which ended up being his saving grace.
Kleban began helping the county through the regional Chamber of Commerce by assisting in social media endeavors, marketing seminars, and networking events. What he was doing essentially fueled the creation of a new position at the Chamber. By 2011, Kleban was managing their communications department by revamping their websites and newsletters. In essence, he was altering the Chamber’s communicative presence, infiltrating a more sophisticated and useful system. Now titled as the Senior Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, Kleban has overseen the day to day events and membership of residents of the Dutchess County region for the past 10 years.
At the Chamber, there are a myriad of networking events that Kleban conducts, ranging from small events with 25 people to monthly breakfasts with 200 people, to the annual summer Balloon Festival that entertains over 30,000 people. Working with over 1,200 member businesses, including Marist College, IBM, sole entrepreneurs, and marketing and PR agencies, there are always endless functionalities to attend to. “I am on call all the time,” said Kleban. “It is not 24/7 like it was at the newspaper, but there is a lot of customer service involved, and I need to be there for all of my clients.”
What makes the job worthwhile for Kleban is seeing situations like a new business opening and the first thing they do is join the Chamber and have a ribbon cutting. “Knowing we are helping them succeed is really satisfying,” said Kleban. It is all about growth, and being a puzzle piece in that growth is something that makes Kleban and the rest of the Chamber proud and establishes exceptional credibility in the community.
And though the hectic atmosphere of a newsroom was extremely rewarding and exhilarating for Kleban, as it is for many young journalists, operating in the Chamber was the perfect landing point for Kleban. “I didn’t know what was on the other side really,” said Kleban. But after getting married and starting a family, being conscientious of the work and family-life balance was crucial for his happiness. “The kids don’t need me as much as they did in the past, but they still need that ride to softball practice and the orthodontist,” said Kleban. “You can’t be so focused in your career that you’re sacrificing your family and the important stuff.”
Nonetheless, as a young aspiring writer, Kleban appreciated every minute of his journalistic career.
“Working in a newsroom is like nothing else,” said Kleban. Back when it was all print-based; between the adrenaline of deadlines and being responsible for a finished product like that, to Kleban, there was nothing like seeing all that come together.
“That being said, the stress of it is enormous, the hours are terrible, the comradier is great and the satisfaction is terrific, but as I was getting older, and my son was born, I was working nights and weekends, it all kind of fell together at the right time,” said Kleban.
“Newspapers don’t have a bright future,” said Kleban. And 12 years ago that was starting to become clear to him. “Anyone in the business was going to have to find a new career,” added Kleban. Thankfully, “It happened to me when I was young enough and connected enough in Dutchess County.”
“It did not go according to plan, but looking back, I have been really fortunate to have such good opportunities,” said Kleban.
