It’s truly amazing to see how an unfortunate setback can quickly turn into a great opportunity. Today, that great opportunity turns 15 years old.
In 2009, Chris Mahlmann was driving home from a meeting feeling rather discouraged. New to the Northwest Indiana area from Illinois, he was able to observe a lot about the Region from an outsider’s perspective - most notably all the positivity in the communities around him, and was excited to share all this good news with others. Unfortunately, others he met with about starting a good news company seemed to lack the same sentiments, much to his surprise.
“I wanted to read everything I possibly could about the area because I'm not from here,” Mahlmann said. “I just wanted to observe everything I could about the Region. Then I went out and got involved in the Valpo Schools Foundation, which gives teachers grants and some students scholarships. I got involved with the Porter County Career Center, which is a vocational school here in Porter County. I began learning like, ‘Dang, there are a lot of really good people doing really nice things out here.’”
After yet another discouraging meeting and being told positive media would never prosper, a broken-hearted Mahlmann got in his car and began to make his way home. Just six minutes into the drive, however, was when Mahlmann got the idea to create GreatNews.Life (GNL), an all-positive media company proudly sharing the Region’s great news with its equally great people, and the rest was history.
“I got in the car, I called my wife and I said ‘We're going to start a good news company in Valparaiso.’ She said ‘Since when?’ I looked at my phone, and I said, ‘Well, I've been driving for about six minutes, so since six minutes ago,’” Mahlmann laughed. “She said ‘What's the plan?’ I said, ‘Well, I just told you the plan,’ and she's like, ‘No, what’s the plan?’ I told her ‘That's the whole plan. I'm going to have to figure it all out, but it'll be fine.’”
And fine he was! You could say it was great, even! Fast forward a decade and a half later to March of 2024, and GNL is now celebrating its 15th birthday.
A lot can happen in a community in 15 years, but you can bet GNL has been there to cover it all. From employee spotlights to new program developments, GNL has thousands of articles about the Region’s wonderful businesses and business people that would most likely go otherwise unnoticed. If a company has an event of any kind, it’s almost guaranteed to see a black or navy polo meandering through the crowd proudly displaying the GNL logo on the back, equipped with a camera in hand to snap the winning shots.
An avid supporter of education, GNL does everything in its capacity to support the Region’s schools, all at no cost. This includes the #1StudentNWI internship program, where hundreds of high school students have gained writing and real-world working experience by telling the community what’s been happening at their respective schools. Browse through the photo galleries on the life sites, and you can also find millions of high school (and even some college) graduations from over 50 schools throughout the Region each year.
A company all about highlighting the good, GNL has also spotlighted people making a positive impact through the Life in the Spotlight series. This series has never missed a beat and has shared a new spotlight on each of the Life sites each week for over 10 years running.
Achieving all of that and more in that 15-year milestone is an incredible feat. GNL Executive Director Jenny Craig-Brown is beyond excited to celebrate. As someone who has been there for many of those 15 years, seeing how far the company has come is a wonderful feeling.
“I am ecstatic about celebrating 15 years of GreatNews.Life! It's great to be a part of 11 of those years myself,” Craig-Brown said. “What Chris accomplished with this company is something that is certainly under-celebrated. We made GOOD NEWS a priority and it worked! Cheers to 15 years and so many more great things to come.”
A Region full of such great people also means it's well equipped with great people to spread all this positivity, people commonly referred to as Lifers. While Mahlmann cherishes each and every Lifer who has come through the GNL doors, one Lifer who has been imperative to GNL’s success is none other than Mahlmann’s wife, biggest supporter, and GNL Chief Financial Officer Natalie Mahlmann. Without her, GNL would be nowhere close to what it is today.
“I'm so glad I have a wife who said I believe in you and I believe in your premise. Secondly, we won't quit and we will never stop – any normal spouse would definitely be upset multiple times in our history,” Mahlmann laughed. “To have a spouse who is supportive of you risking everything and going off into business on your own is a crazy awesome thing. When my wife is 1,000,000,000% behind me, you just can't fail.”
It was a surprise at first, but Natalie Mahlmann had full confidence that her husband had what it takes to make GNL a reality.
"Of course when Chris called me, I thought, ‘Wait, what?” said Natalie Mahlmann “However, knowing my husband, he is a very smart, driven, and hard-working person, so I knew if anyone could make it work, he could. Plus, they told him it wouldn't work, which was their first mistake. Now, here we are 15 years later! It's been a bumpy road, at times, but it is so wonderful to see the growth that has occurred, and there is no one I'd rather go through the challenges and great times with."
Great news also isn’t stopping anytime soon. In fact, it’s spreading even further! GNL has been gaining traction in the Michiana area in recent years and is expected to launch a site fully catering to the area very soon. After that, Mahlmann says anything is possible, and looks forward to sharing with as many people as possible what a great life is all about.
“I don't see any reason why this can't be everywhere,” Mahlmann said. “I watch the evening news do five out of six segments that are awful and depressing, and then they give you puppies at the end. I think you could actually make a living off of things like puppies and Boy Scouts and the Boys & Girls Club and the junior high basketball team – it’s affirming what people want to know about their neighborhood, so we're going to go to every single place that welcomes us.”
For more information about the great news in your community, be sure to visit any one of the Life sites: Valpo.Life, Portage.Life, LaPorteCounty.Life, NWI.Life, and soon, Michiana.Life. Mahlmann and the GNL team extend a warm thank you to the many supporters over the years. GNL is made possible through people like you - it’s you who really make the good news, great.