As family owners of newspapers are deciding in waves to exit the difficult industry, many of them are finding a new and eager suitor — the secretive Adams Publishing Group.

Barely three years old, Minneapolis-based Adams has assembled a group of more than 100 small dailies, weeklies and shoppers in at least 15 separate transactions. In contrast to other big consolidators, they often leave existing management in place, do not impose cookie-cutter content templates, and do not start by stripping down newsrooms of editors and reporters.

The company launched in March 2014 by buying three of the four divisions of American Consolidated Media. Other notable acquisitions have include the Idaho Falls Post-Register and Washington Post Southern Maryland Newspapers in 2015, and the 20 dailies and weeklies of well-regarded Pioneer News Group papers in the Pacific Northwest two weeks ago.What opportunity does the Adams clan see that others don’t? Best indications are they think that in small towns community newspapers still have strong local franchises and can flourish.