By By Fredric D. Rutberg,Gillian Heck — The Berkshire Eagle

Copyright berkshireeagle

Dear Reader,

On Oct. 1, I will be stepping down as publisher of The Berkshire Eagle, but I will continue in my role as the president of the company and play an active role in the ongoing progress of restoring The Eagle to its past glory. Gary Lavariere, who has been our chief revenue officer for the last five years, will take over as publisher and manage the operation of the company on a day-to-day basis.

We have been working internally to implement these changes for over a year to make it as seamless as possible. Given the unanimity of support from all parties in our organization, I am confident this evolution will prove to be just that.

Almost 10 years ago, three colleagues and I bought The Eagle from an absentee hedge fund, with the goal of building the finest community newspaper in America. We have also been propelled by the goal of building a company that would last for decades, as the Miller family had done in the 20th century.

For the past eight years, I have been privileged to lead the company as it has navigated uncharted waters caused by a rapidly changing media landscape, the pandemic and what appears to be an organized attack on the free press by a hostile government.

We have made significant progress in enhancing the quality of The Eagle and its related publications. Evidence of that success is reflected in the numerous awards bestowed on the paper and its reporters, photographers and editors, including an unprecedented seven-year reign of The Eagle as Newspaper of the Year in its class by the New England Newspaper and Press Association.

Almost from the purchase of The Eagle, friends and associates asked me how long I would continue to work full time, knowing that I began this venture after reaching mandatory retirement from my previous career on the District Court bench. I love my work at The Eagle and felt no pressing need to work less. However, I have long been cognizant of a leader’s responsibility to arrange for smooth and orderly transition, because none of us goes on forever. As I approach my 80th birthday, I thought this would be the right time to turn over the responsibilities of being publisher to the next generation of leadership, while retaining some of the more rewarding aspects of my job. The fact that The Eagle is stronger now than at any time since we bought it makes this a propitious time to pass the reins to the next generation.

I will continue to be actively involved in the operations of the newsroom and remain a member of the editorial board. I will continue as the liaison with our Advisory Board and as the head of philanthropic endeavors including the Local Journalism Fund. And, I will be a representative of The Eagle locally and beyond, although I will be sharing this responsibility with Gary and others.

Let me introduce Gary Lavariere to those of you who do not know him. He was born and raised in North Adams, and he is a 2016 graduate of MCLA, where he met his wife, Lauren. He came to The Eagle fresh from graduation as a circulation executive. He left us to get big-city experience in 2018, and we were able to entice him back to the Berkshires in 2019. He has been our chief revenue officer since 2021, overseeing advertising sales, circulation and production. Last May, Gary graduated from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism’s Executive Program in News Innovation and Leadership.

Gary is smart, personable and very knowledgeable about the publishing business and our operations. Most importantly, he loves the Berkshires. He and Lauren live in Adams with their two young children.

This is a bittersweet moment for me, as I step aside from parts of a job I did not seek, but have cherished beyond comprehension. I was given this opportunity to be The Eagle publisher by Bob Wilmers and Hans Morris, to whom I am eternally grateful. Bob died unexpectedly a few days after the board of directors meeting when my predecessor suggested that I was ready to be the publisher. In typical fashion, Bob responded with a question: “What has Fred ever run?” I held my tongue because it was not a question that required an answer. Bob, wherever you are, I hope that you are somewhat pleased with my performance.

Hans, words cannot express my appreciation and affection for you and for all you have done to make The Eagle the finest community newspaper in New England, and possibly America.

In the first letter I wrote to our readership, I noted that while we may be legal owners of The Berkshire Eagle, we were only stewards to preserve and nurture this vital institution for the community. I have tried to be a good steward, and I am confident that Gary will be one as well.

Please keep reading The Eagle and supporting quality local journalism, and save some support for Gary and the whole team.

– Fred Rutberg