Joe DeLuca arrived at a companywide staff meeting wearing an army green-colored helmet, aviator glasses and a camouflage tie. His outfit exemplified his status as the commander of the Tampa Bay Times’ Business Continuity Team. Joe’s job was to prepare the staff for storm season. His is the steady hand that orchestrates the company’s strategy during hurricanes, cyber-attacks, a pandemic and every crisis in between. For 23 years, he has been a part of the central command for the most consequential business decisions for Times Publishing Company and its brands.
Joe joined the Times in 2001 after a distinguished career in newspaper publishing in the northeast, where he rose from a reporter at Imprint Newspapers to production director of the Hartford Courant. Once on staff at the Times, he became a vice president in charge of operations and publisher in Tampa.
No leader better articulated the battle plan for the newspaper war between the Times and the Tampa Tribune than Joe. Generations of Times staffers knew the mission was to surpass the Tribune, a multi-decades long campaign that ended when the Times bought its rival and ensured the survival of a locally owned newspaper that covered Tampa Bay. Joe did not stop there. He led efforts to integrate the Tribune’s publishing and delivery operations into the Times in a single night without disrupting service to customers.
Joe also was at mission control when the Times reduced its printed edition from seven to two days a week, while fully committing to a digital e-Newspaper and 24/7 web operation. He was at the helm of negotiations and quality control when the company shuttered its printing plant and took its publishing to Gannett.
In fact, Joe’s resume reads like a who’s who of the Times’ greatest publishing successes:
As the Times looks toward its next 140 years, Joe leads the organization’s strategic planning efforts and supervises the circulation, distribution, facilities, finance and human resources departments. An expert in organizational operations, he also serves as the company’s de facto chief financial officer. He also is a member of the board of directors for Times Publishing Company, Florida Trend, Tampa Bay Newspapers and the Tampa Bay Times Fund.
An advocate for the Times and the newspaper industry writ large, Joe regularly travels to Tallahassee to meet with legislators and build relationships. Most recently, he lobbied against the passage of H.B. 35, a retributive bill that sought to strip newspapers of public notice listings. Although the bill passed, Joe’s efforts resulted in a fairer piece of legislation that saved the Times more than a million dollars in annual revenue.
Joe shares the leadership skills he has honed during his successful career. He carefully coaches department heads on the essential tools of management and has spread his message to civic and industry groups. He has served as a mentor for young rising publishing stars for the Florida Press Association’s Derek Dunn-Rankin Leadership Institute.
Outside of work, Joe is a longtime contributor to important causes throughout the Tampa Bay region. As a member of the board of directors for Junior Achievement of Tampa Bay, Joe ensures that public school students in Hillsborough County get access to financial planning tools. He also serves as a volunteer teacher in the program and has been a member of numerous nonprofit boards including the Tampa Downtown Partnership and the Florida Press Association.
Joe’s vast accomplishments led to his promotion to Times president in 2023. He lives by the motto “power flows in the direction of hope.” Joe’s authenticity is matched by his enthusiasm for the mission and future of our industry.
