A Diversely-Talented Management Team

With high-level experience in the areas of Distribution, Packaging, Marketing, Technology, Sales and Finance.

Keith Somers, President and CEO
Keith is the visionary and strategic leader of ACI. He has a BA from UCLA and an MBA from USC. As a member of ACI’s founding family, Keith began his career with ACI in 1994, and then worked for four years at Hewlett Packard managing international OEM procurement contracts. Keith returned to ACI in 2003 and has transitioned the company from one with a strong regional focus, to the national print media distribution company it is today.

John G. Walsh, Executive Vice President and COO
John’s newspaper and media experience include circulation, production, operations and consumer marketing. Previously, he served as Senior Vice President of Operations for The Dallas Morning News. His previous positions include Senior Vice President of Operations at The Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News, Senior Vice President of Operations at The Orange County Register and operations management roles at the Journal Register Company and the Chicago Tribune. John is a leader in building high-performing organizations, creating efficiencies and achieving superior quality results.

David Morel, Vice President/Operations
David began his newspaper career at The Bakersfield Californian, where he held positions in distribution and IT project management. In 1995 he was recruited to The Dallas Morning News where he held Director level positions in multiple disciplines including Customer Service, Advertising, and Home Delivery Operations. David joined ACI in 2008.

Randall Brant, Vice President/Sales and Marketing
In his 20-plus years in publishing, Randall has held leadership positions in print, digital and niche publishing with top newspapers, including the Dallas Morning News, Detroit News and Free Press, Denver Post, Salt Lake Tribune, and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. In positions with companies such as MediaNews Group, Hearst and Gannett, he's worked with daily and non-daily print publications ranging in circulation from 10,000 to 800,000.

Amin Ahmed, Director of Information Technologies
Ahmed most recently was a Senior Manager at Keane, one of the nation’s leading IT consulting firms. He has also served as Senior Architect at Bain Capital. He has specialized in IT management, leading efforts to build complex and sophisticated systems, such as developing IT frameworks, laying out security policies and building technology infrastructure. Ahmed earned his Master’s Degree in computer science from the University of Karachi.

Tony Traven, Director of Home Delivery
Tony has led newspaper circulation and marketing efforts in diverse markets such as southern California; Odessa, Texas and suburban Chicago. More recently, he served as Circulation Director at The Daily Breeze in Torrance, California. Trained in organizational development and recruiting, Tony also ran his own company assisting publishers with their talent acquisition and development needs.

Heather Buscombe, CPA, Director of Finance/Controller
Heather has served in senior financial leadership positions with publicly and privately held companies, primarily in the entertainment and fitness industries. She began her career as an auditor at the international accounting and consulting firm BDO Seidman, LLC. With 20 years of experience in finance and operations, she brings her abilities and perspective to help ACI operate more efficiently. Heather holds a BS in Accounting from the University of Southern California.

Hank Meyer, Director of Alternate Delivery
After Hank attended Santa Barbara City College, he joined the Navy and honorably served his country in the Persian Gulf. Upon his return, he worked as a Construction Project Manager, and joined ACI in 2005. Hank has had a variety of roles at ACI; he was District Contract Manager for San Diego, Circulation Manager for all of ACI's Southern California markets, and now serves as Director of Alternate Delivery.