Communication Coordinator Mike Mallow Receives Honor

Mike Mallow, Communications Coordinator for Future Generations WV, received an award from the West Virginia State Journal's Forty under 40 for his previous work at the Moorefield Examiner. We are proud to have him on our team.

The West Virginia State Journal's Forty under 40

Graphic Designer at the Moorefield Examiner, Franklin, 30

On his first paying job: 

"My first job was actually at the poultry plant in Moorefield. Poultry factory has a lot of physical labor involved. I learned a lot about work ethic there and learned about Moorefield by being in that area."

Graphic designer Mike Mallow has committed himself to improving West Virginia's small communities through community newspapers and local government. 

Mallow has racked up 37 awards from the West Virginia Press Association Advertising Design Contest, 18 awards from the WVPA Better Newspaper contest and other awards in page design and photography. Mallow aided the Moorefield Examiner in creating an online edition and increased the paper's social media presence. 

He is originally from Upper Tract and still lives in Franklin, which is more than an hour's drive from his job in Moorefield. And when he was looking for jobs, he eschewed opportunities in the nearby Shenandoah Valley for opportunities within his own state. 

He started studying journalism, but soon learned he preferred graphic design. 

"I sort of discovered that I enjoyed laying out the paper more than I did writing it," Mallow said. "After I got my associate's in journalism, I went into graphic design and fell in love with it from there."

Mallow has a Regents Bachelors of Arts degree from West Virginia University, an associate degree in graphic design from Fairmont State, and an associate degree in journalism from Potomac State College.

He was recognized in 2010 as the Pendleton County Young Professional of the Year and serves on the Pendleton County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. He also is a marketing director for the Treasure Mountain Festival Association Board. 

Mallow also has an interest in local government and was elected councilman to the town of Franklin where he served a term from 2008 to 2010.

View the original article at www.statejournal.com.