Old Greenwich Resident Is Named Magazine Publisher

Old Greenwich resident Bill Ridenour has been appointed vice president and publisher of Serendipity magazine.

His appointment and that of Merrill Squires, also of Old Greenwich, and John von Stade of Darien, as senior advisors, were announced by Unger Publishing, a Stamford-based media company that publishes the magazine, on Monday.

In his role, Ridenour will oversee print and digital advertising sales efforts, circulation, marketing and events.

“After spending more than 20 years at Time Inc. in sales and management positions, Bill’s experience will help Unger Publishing continue to expand its print and digital efforts,” CEO and Founder Unger Publishing and Serendipity magazine Suni Unger said in a statement. “I look forward to working closely with Bill to apply his work experience, as well as his strong local ties, to our publishing efforts, as well as our flagship events, such as the annual Greenwich WINE+FOOD Festival.”

Unger Publishing has retained the New York City/Stamford-based Accelerated Growth Partners. AGP partners Squires and von Stade will act as senior advisors. AGP is a business development and band acceleration firm that specializes in media, content platforms, brand development, event marketing and revenue generation.

“I’m thrilled to be working with Merrill and John on business development and marketing initiatives for the magazine, our signature events and future business endeavors,” Unger said. “The combined experiences that both can bring to the table not only in the publishing world, but also living and working locally, will provide educated input as we continue to grow and evolve the company.”

“This new role at Unger Publishing will allow me to not only apply my experience in the publishing world, but do it in a local community that I grew up in and love,” Ridenour said. “Both Merrill and John live locally but bring relevant national experience and relationships to Unger. This will be helpful as we grow the brand and explore related brand extensions.”

During his tenure at Time Inc., Ridenour held a variety of sales and management positions with such titles as Money, Time, Sports Illustrated and Fortune, as well as with Time Inc. corporate. He also spent more than 12 years in the golf magazine category, working with titles including Links magazine, Travel & Leisure Golf, Golf World and Golf Digest. Ridenour grew up in Greenwich, and resides in Old Greenwich. He is a member of the Greenwich Country Club, Rocky Point Club and the Yale Club.

A resident of Old Greenwich, Squires has more than 20 years of experience in entertainment marketing, sponsorships and media, operating and owning business units at Sports Illustrated, USA Today Sports Media Group, The Marketing Arm, Hawkeye Communications and Active Equity Partners before starting AGP in 2014.

von Stade has more than 20 years of industry leading sports marketing and media experience. He has led strategy and property negotiations for numerous brands. He was part of the management team at agencies Millsport, PNM Sports, Velocity Sports & Entertainment and helped launch USA Today Sports Media Group at Gannett. von Stade and his family reside in Darien.

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Contributed photos: from left, Bill Ridenour, Merrill Squires and John von Stade.