Categories: OLD Media Moves

Minnesota/Wisconsin biz paper sold

BusinessNorth, a newspaper that covers northern Minnesota and northern Wisconsin, has been sold to a new owner that includes a local newspaper editor as part of the team.

Mike Simonson from 91.3 KUFS reports, “BusinessNorth founder and publisher Wayne Nelson is stepping down after 18 years. Taking his place are former Superior Daily Telegram Editor Ron Brochu and BusinessNorth reporter Beth Bily (By-lee).

“BusinessNorth began its days in 1992 based out of UW-Superior’s Business Incubator Center. Since then, Publisher Wayne Nelson has grown the publication to 17 counties with a monthly readership of 21,000. Nelson says he’s spent many late nights and faced some lean times as publisher but feels now is the time to pass the torch.

“‘I’m 65, okay, and I’m fortunate to have two people ready to take on an entrepreneurial role and I think this is the perfect pair to take Business North into the next decade.’

“Ron Brochu spent time as a managing editor with BusinessNorth in the late ’90s and has worked with the Superior Daily Telegram and Duluth News Tribune. He says he and Bily couldn’t pass up the offer even with the risks involved.”