Turtle Creek, PA 15145
October 20, 2013

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing this letter on behalf of Joey DiGuglielmo. I had the privilege of working with Mr. DiGuglielmo during his three years with Gateway Newspapers, a chain of weekly newspapers that served the suburbs around Pittsburgh, Pa. The chain is now owned by Trib Total Media, which publishes the Tribune-Review daily newspapers. During the time of his employment, I served in the capacity of a substitute editor and, because my regular job involved writing for all the Gateway papers, we occasionally had to collaborate on coverage.

Mr. DiGuglielmo served as a reporter for the chain’s flagship paper, the Times Express, which covered the hub of Pittsburgh’s eastern suburbs, Monroeville. Known as the intersection of several major highways, Monroeville has an approximately four-mile-long business corridor and is home to a major shopping mall, several medical complexes and a large school district. In addition, he also covered Pitcairn, an older community with a small business district that was in decline. The contrast of the more modern Monroeville and the old railroad town of Pitcairn has provided a challenge for any reporter covering that beat, especially in making sure not to forget the smaller community.

Mr. DiGuglielmo brought a breath of fresh air to the beat. He covered the dry and often boring municipal, zoning, planning commission and school board meetings, as required by the job. But he also took those meetings a step further. For instance, when residents complained about packs of kids wandering around Pitcairn wreaking havoc, Mr. DiGuglielmo walked the residential streets and actually talked to those kids to get their side of the story. He was also very diligent in getting all sides of the story when Wal-Mart made an unsuccessful effort to come to town. He even cracked one of the least-media-friendly municipal officials and developed the relationship to the point that she was feeding him tips.

His most memorable story, in my opinion, was when he interviewed the owner of a dog that sniffs out cadavers. In a remarkably interesting twist, he wrote the story from the point of view of the dog. It was a delightful read.

Mr. DiGuglielmo has an upbeat personality that gave the newsroom a positive atmosphere. His creativity inspired us all.

Should you need to speak to me personally about Mr. DiGuglielmo’s qualifications, please contact me at [email protected]  or 412-378-1424.

Sincerely,

Zandy Dudiak