Bainbridge Review welcomes new manager
Published 9:53 am Tuesday, July 5, 2016
The Bainbridge Review’s new circulation manager Nicole Baas is no stranger to the paper route.
As an independent carrier, she spent two years slugging newspapers around the island in the wee hours of the night.
It was not an easy job in the beginning.
“My first night, it took me 13 hours and I was on the side of the road crying,” Baas, a 2012 Bainbridge High grad recalled.
She was lost, tired, defeated. But she didn’t give up. She delivered her final papers and vowed to give the job another week.
When the next week came, she cut four hours off her shift. Five months in, she had it mastered. She’d cover four separate routes in six, delivering 980 papers, before shuttling her 1-year-old son to daycare. Her day was long, bracketed with side jobs at Bainbridge Crepes and Frog Rock Janitorial.
No matter how tired she was, Baas always went the extra mile.
For major holidays, she left little gifts — candy and Valentine’s Day cards. She made sure every senior subscriber received something.
Her fan base responded with birthday cards and tips, goat’s milk soap and tins of hot chocolate.
When Baas found out she’d been promoted, she called on the hard-to-find houses, to tell them she was leaving, but that they’d be in good hands. She gave them her number, should anything go wrong.
As of June 15, Baas continues to run one island route, but her primary responsibilities are monitoring subscriptions and re-deliveries.
In her spare time, if she ever finds it, she enjoys playing with her son Ammon, who turns 2 in September. They love the aquarium and Fay Bainbridge Park.
“But he hates the water,” Baas said. “He’ll run down the beach and the minute he sees a wave, he’ll be 30 or 40 feet from it, he’ll turn around and start screaming.”
