EAST LONGMEADOW – Reminder Publications’ Co-Publisher Dan Buendo got a surprise when he recently attended the Association of Free Community Paper’s (AFCP) conference.

During an award ceremony Buendo was asked to come to the stage to receive the AFCP’s “Publisher of the Year Award.”

The trade association describes the award as “AFCP's highest honor, Publisher of the Year, is bestowed on an individual who has made significant contributions to the Association of Free Community Papers and the free publication industry during a given year. Their selfless contribution and dedication to advancing the interests of others is evident in their efforts on behalf of the association, their communities and their businesses.”

Buendo said, “I was completely and utterly surprised to be recognized as AFCP’s Publisher of the Year. It is very flattering to be considered amongst the list of prior recipients that have received this award – many of whom are legends in our industry and who have been such a tremendous help to me along the way. I am truly honored.”

Buendo has been very active in national free newspapers organizations and also served as president from 2009 to 2011 of the Independent Free Papers of America group. In 2008 he received the Distinguished Service Award from that organization.

According to its website, AFCP “represents publishers of community papers from coast to coast, reaching millions of homes on a weekly, biweekly or monthly basis. These papers are united in providing the best advertising coverage to their clients and valuable advertising information to their strong and loyal readership base.”

The organization’s members are “owners, publishers, general managers and sales managers of free-circulation community publications throughout North America. Our diverse membership ranges from small, independently owned publications with circulations less than 5,000 up to divisions of major communications companies publishing millions of copies every week. The common bond among AFCP’s membership is that all publications are distributed free-of-charge to the readers in their designated circulation areas.”