Finance & Commerce seeks economic development reporter

Finance & Commerce, a Minneapolis-based daily newspaper focused on covering commercial real estate, construction and development, has an opening for an economic development reporter. Our audience includes professionals working in real estate and development, construction, finance, economic development and business, regional planning, and transportation and transit.

The economic development reporter covers everything from job creation and public incentives for businesses and real estate developers to Minnesota’s economy, banking conditions, financing, entrepreneurship, and business issues.

This reporter also regularly checks county and city agendas for news that would be of interest to our audience. When the state Legislature is in session, the reporter looks at funding issues and policy, and stories may frequently appear in our sister publication, Minnesota Lawyer.

On any given day, this reporter may interview a high-ranking state official or legislator, an exurb’s economic development director or mayor, a real estate developer, a chamber of commerce executive, a banker, a business expert or an entrepreneur. The position also involves digging through lengthy public documents and translating complicated engineering and environmental studies for our audience. The reporter also needs to keep tabs on various meetings involving key agencies. The economic development reporter also backs up Finance & Commerce’s commercial real estate reporter.

Skills and Qualifications:

• Versatile journalist and self-starter who would enjoy plunging into our core topics and business development issues, learning the basics and turning comprehensive stories driven by tough questions that a niche audience demands.
• A minimum of two years of full-time reporting for a daily news publication; skepticism; curiosity; a body of published work that shows an ability to engage, explain and enlighten readers.
• Demonstrated ability to break news; experience in highly productive newsrooms, and experience working under intense deadline pressure.
• Experience working with public records and spreadsheets.
• Experience reporting about local and state government; knowledge of economic development, commercial real estate and business; and ease with social media platforms.
• A degree in journalism or similar field is required.

Finance & Commerce is a part of BridgeTower Media. We offer a full range of benefits including health insurance; 401(k) and company match; and vacation, personal days, sick leave and time off for all major holidays. Finance & Commerce’s workweek is Monday through Friday.

To apply, please send a cover letter that explains why you are the best person for this job, a resume, and five work samples to Finance & Commerce Editor Joel Schettler at jschettler@finance-commerce.com opens an email client application.