Cary's Dex One In Merger - Layoffs Likely

A North Carolina Yellow Pages publisher is continuing its transition into digital marketing through a merger with a Texas rival. Cary-based Dex One and Dallas-based SuperMedia have both emerged from bankruptcy in recent years, as the market has moved from print phone books to the Internet.

SuperMedia chief Peter McDonald says the marketing needs of small businesses today go far beyond an ad in the Yellow Pages.

Peter McDonald: Buying Google ad words, creating and updating your Facebook and Google+ pages, posting to your blog, managing your business's reputation, changing your web site and mobile web site can consume many hours each week, even if you have expertise, which most business owners do not.

McDonald will head the combined company if the deal is approved by shareholders. A Dex One spokesman says the merger will likely involve some layoffs among its 300 North Carolina employees. But details have yet to be determined. The location of the merged company's headquarters also hasn't been decided.