Beaumont Enterprise acquires SoutheastTexas.com

SoutheastTexas.com is a powerful brand known throughout the region for its undisputed supremacy in automotive, real estate, employment, private merchandise advertising and customer service.”

Mark Adkins, Beaumont Enterprise

The Beaumont (Texas) Enterprise has acquired SoutheastTexas.com from Virtual Communities Inc., the regional online classified marketplace leader founded in 1997.

The announcement was made by Mark Adkins, president and publisher of the Beaumont Enterprise, and Paul Chargois, SoutheastTexas.com founder and president of Virtual Communities, Inc.

SoutheastTexas.com and the SoutheastTexas.com EventsBook will continue to operate as stand-alone products and brands.

The combined website traffic of BeaumontEnterprise.com and SoutheastTexas.com will exceed 8 million visitors and 200 million page views per year, creating one of the state's largest news and advertising websites.

"SoutheastTexas.com is a powerful brand known throughout the region for its undisputed supremacy in automotive, real estate, employment, private merchandise advertising and customer service," Adkins said.

"We have exciting website and customer innovations planned and are thrilled to welcome EventsBook editor Shelly Vitanza and SoutheastTexas.com's employees to our media team," Adkins said. "I personally look forward to working with Paul as we transition and expand this exciting web company."

"SoutheastTexas.com began as a thought in 1996 and became a reality in 1997, and guiding our rapid growth for the past 18 years has been my joy," Chargois said. "Now, to be acquired by the Beaumont Enterprise is this entrepreneur's dream come true. SoutheastTexas.com's legacy is in great hands – our future could not be brighter."