Mark Heintzelman was named the new publisher of the Missoulian this morning.
Heintzelman, formerly of the Missoulian and currently publisher of The Sentinel in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, succeeds Jim McGowan, who has returned to his previous position as director of sales and marketing.
Nathan Bekke, Lee group publisher, made the announcement today in staff meetings.
“In returning to the Missoulian, Mark brings a keen knowledge of the market, as well as friendships with many of our advertisers and readers,” Bekke said. “We are fortunate, too, in regaining Jim’s full focus on our sales and marketing initiatives as we continue to expand our print and digital services.”
Heintzelman joined Lee in 1997 at the Missoulian, where he served as assistant controller before advancing to assistant controller at the Billings Gazette, in Billings, Montana. In 2006, he became controller at the Daily Herald in Provo, Utah, where he also led the Lee regional finance center. He was appointed publisher in Carlisle in 2011.
In Carlisle, his many community and professional activities include serving on the boards of the Chamber of Commerce, United Way, Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association Foundation Board of Trustees, and Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. He also serves on the Brand Advisory Committee for the Cumberland Valley Visitors Bureau and Cumberland Area Economic Development Corporation, a key communicators advisory committee for South Middleton School District, investment committees for Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association and United Way, and recently on the 100th anniversary committee for the Chamber. He is a graduate of the University of Montana with a degree in math. He and his wife, Julie, have two children.
“I am extremely humbled to be appointed publisher of the Missoulian, missoulian.com, Ravalli Republic and our other exciting digital and niche products,” he said. “It is an incredible privilege and honor to be a part of this organization and what it represents to this amazing community. The Missoulian is built on a tremendous foundation of community journalism, driving commerce and growing audience, and I am ecstatic to work with the fine team at the Missoulian to continue expanding on our heritage.”
On leaving Carlisle, he added: “I’m going to miss this incredible team and community. They have a lot to be proud of, and I’m honored they let me be a part of their successes. They’ve all taught me so much, it’s impossible to show them a proper level of gratitude.”
Lee Enterprises is a leading provider of local news and information, and a major platform for advertising, in its markets, with 46 daily newspapers and a joint interest in four others, rapidly growing digital products and nearly 300 specialty publications in 22 states. Lee’s newspapers have circulation of 1.2 million daily and 1.5 million Sunday, reaching nearly four million readers in print alone. Lee’s websites and mobile and tablet products attracted 23.1 million unique visitors in June 2014. Lee’s markets include St. Louis, MO; Lincoln, NE; Madison, WI; Davenport, IA; Billings, MT; Bloomington, IL; and Tucson, AZ. Lee Common Stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol LEE. For more information about Lee, please visit lee.net.
