Crain acquires Grand Rapids Biz Journal

Crain Communications has acquired Grand Rapids Business Journal in Michigan for an undisclosed amount.

The acquisition is effective today, Aug. 31.

Crain acquired Grand Rapids Business Journal, which launched in 1983, from Gemini Media LLC. The publication already has four city business newspapers — Crain’s Detroit, Chicago, New York and Cleveland Business.

“The expansion of coverage into the Grand Rapids area is a natural path of growth for us,” said KC Crain, president and CEO of Crain Communications, in a statement. “Grand Rapids sits between two of our biggest areas of regional business coverage — Detroit and Chicago — and it’s proven to be an area our readers are involved in and want to see more coverage on.”

The Grand Rapids publication will continue to operate as a separate media outlet. The team of 10 reporters and advertising sales executives will continue with GRBJ.

Chris Roush

Chris Roush was the dean of the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. He was previously Walter E. Hussman Sr. Distinguished Professor in business journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a former business journalist for Bloomberg News, Businessweek, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Tampa Tribune and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. He is the author of the leading business reporting textbook "Show me the Money: Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication" and "Thinking Things Over," a biography of former Wall Street Journal editor Vermont Royster.