Ballantine Communications Inc., parent company of The Durango Herald, last weekend agreed to purchase Rio Grande Publishing, a New Mexico phone directory company.

Final shareholder approval is expected May 29.

Rio Grande Publishing was owned by Richard and Elizabeth Ballantine, Helen Healy, Robert J. Whitson and Hugh Riddle. The transaction, whose financial terms were not disclosed, consolidates management under Ballantine Communications.

Ballantine Communications also owns Directory Plus, which has a significant presence in the Four Corners, including Durango and Farmington.

“We're going to continue to be aggressive in our efforts to grow our business, whether it be through acquisitions or selling our own products,” said Doug Bennett, CEO of Ballantine Communications.

The acquisition followed several other moves made by Bennett, who became CEO in July 2013. Ballantine Communications acquired the Pine River Times in January. Bayfield's weekly newspaper joined the Herald, Cortez Journal, The Mancos Times and The Dolores Star as BCI newspapers.

Bennett also has aggressively pushed partnerships with Yahoo! and other digital media firms.

Six Ballantine Digital Media salespersons – three in Albuquerque and three in El Paso – will be integrated into Rio Grande Publishing to help with digital sales, Bennett said. Rio Grande is based in Las Cruces.

“We are excited to continue the growth of Ballantine Communications, while also consolidating management of the directory business that the Ballantine family owned,” Bennett said. “As we expand our business with new digital initiatives, it will be very helpful to have strong brand recognition in the New Mexico market under the Directory Plus brand.”

The acquisition of Rio Grande Publishing was approved by BCI and RGP boards last weekend. It expands Ballantine Communications' footprint much farther south.

“Farmington was as far south as we went,” Bennett said. “This takes us from the Four Corners all the way to El Paso.”

Directories face stiff online competition, but they continue to thrive in small markets, Bennett said.

“It's a competitive market, especially with a lot of advertising moving online,” he said. “But in small markets, we've found a lot of strength in the print product, and we're helping advertisers move some of their advertising online.”

cslothower@durangoherald.com

An earlier version of this story omitted two owners of Rio Grande Publishing.