Times Review Media Group to relocate to new office in Mattituck

After 34 years at its current home in Mattituck, Times Review Media Group is moving on to smaller, better things.

The company will be leaving its home of more than three decades in October and relocate just down the road.

“The decision to move was based on economics and remote working,” said Andrew Olsen, publisher of Times Review. “We simply don’t need the same amount of office space as we did when our current building was designed.” 

The new office — at 7555 Main Road — allows the company to keep its central location to Wading River and Orient, the ends of Times/Review’s coverage area. Staff commutes will be unaffected as well. 

Mr. Olsen said he believes the new space will allow the staff to better collaborate with each other and infuse technology into their operation. 

“Our No. 1 priority is to invest in a talented staff and our brands,” said Mr. Olsen, who has been sole publisher since 2009. “Blending that approach with the best technology solutions and software has been a successful formula.”

Times Review — which publishes the Riverhead News-Review, The Suffolk Times, Shelter Island Reporter and northforker — was originally based in Greenport before the company moved to Mattituck in the 1980s, when it outgrew its office at 429 Main St., which is now The Times Vintage. The company will also launch a new lifestyle brand, southforker, in the coming months.

Joan and Troy Gustavson of Orient, previous co-owners of Times Review, bought the Mattituck property for $135,000 in 1986. They built the space — with a design inspired by an old potato barn — with a vision unique compared to other newsrooms, featuring 40-foot-high ceilings, numerous skylights and over 60 windows filling the space with natural light.

“When we built the building in 1988, it was really designed for a print operation,” Mr. Olsen said. “Everything’s been digitized, so this is giving us the appropriate amount of space as we move ahead, and it does still give us room to expand.”

The new space, which had previously been used as a doctor’s office, was transformed into a newsroom, with space for a sales office, conference room and a dedicated room for podcasting and video editing, among other amenities.

Mr. Olsen and his wife, Sarah, who live in Cutchogue, became owners of the company in 2013 when the Gustavsons formally transferred ownership.

The 7,200-square-foot building at 7785 Main Road sold to an LLC owned by Sukru Ilgin. Times Review had been leasing the building from the Gustavsons.

Mr. Ilgin operates the Gulf gas station across the street at 7400 Main Road, as well as multiple other Gulf stations in the area. The building, which had been listed by Richmond Realty, sold for $1.585 million, according to Mr. Gustavson. 

Sukru’s son, Emre, said he is unsure of what the building will be used for moving forward, although they have a few options being considered.

“I’d like to put some apartments in the back and help out the town,” he said, noting the struggles of finding housing on the North Fork.

Other uses of the space could include dividing the building into smaller offices or leasing it.

Emre said the decision to purchase the space arose from opportunity in the housing market, where “at that price point, you’re buying a business.” 

“It made sense,” he said. 

Times Review will be moving some time in October, as internet installations and technology updates are being finished for the staff to move seamlessly into their new space, Mr. Olsen said.

“We are constantly looking for ways to be more efficient and this was a logical step to take,” he said. “Our entire staff has helped us with this transition and we really appreciate all of their help.”

Phone numbers for staff members will remain the same after the move and the company will maintain its mailing address: P.O. Box 1500, Mattituck, NY 11952.