By Gillian Heck — The Berkshire Eagle,The Berkshire Eagle

Copyright berkshireeagle

PITTSFIELD — After nearly a decade at the helm of The Berkshire Eagle, Fredric D. Rutberg will step down as publisher Oct. 1, passing the baton to Gary Lavariere, the company’s chief revenue officer.

Rutberg, 79, will remain president of The Eagle and continue to play an active role in the paper’s operations. He will remain a member of the editorial board, serve as liaison to the company’s advisory board and lead philanthropic efforts such as The Berkshire Eagle Local Journalism Fund.

“This is a propitious time to pass the reins to the next generation,” Rutberg said in a letter to readers. “The Eagle is stronger now than at any time since we bought it.”

Rutberg, a retired District Court judge, joined three partners in purchasing The Eagle in 2016 from a hedge fund owner.

Since then, he has overseen the paper’s return to local ownership and its reinvestment in journalism — efforts that have earned The Eagle seven consecutive Newspaper of the Year honors from the New England Newspaper and Press Association.

The company’s board of directors has been working on this publisher transition for more than a year. A newspaper publisher is the person ultimately responsible for making sure the paper serves its readers and advertisers and remains financially healthy.

The Eagle’s publisher reports to its board of directors through the president.

Hans Morris, chairman of the board and a co-owner of The Eagle, praised Rutberg’s leadership.

“While many people have been critical to the success of The Berkshire Eagle since 2016, Fred has been the essential person in my view,” Morris said. “After all, it was his idea to buy the paper from Alden Media. And while there were many reasons [that deal] should have fallen apart, he never lost faith and made it happen through his commitment to the vision, along with hard work and resilience.”

Lavariere, 31, is a North Adams native and 2016 graduate of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. He began his career at The Eagle as a circulation executive, left briefly to work at the Las Vegas Review-Journal and returned to the Berkshires in 2019. He was promoted to chief revenue officer in 2021, overseeing advertising, circulation and production.

“I am honored to assume this role with great appreciation for the trust our readers place in us every day,” Lavariere said in his own letter to readers. “My focus is on making sure The Eagle remains a strong and sustainable institution in the Berkshires.”

“We are lucky to have Gary leading The Eagle: He is smart, a quick learner, very digitally aware, and a natural leader and manager,” Morris said. “He also grew up in North Adams and went to MCLA, and loves and knows every aspect of the community. We think he can be the leader of the continued digital transformation of The Eagle.”

Lavariere and his wife, Lauren, live in Adams with their two young children. Last year, he graduated from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism’s Executive Program in News Innovation and Leadership.

Rutberg called Lavariere “smart, personable and very knowledgeable about the publishing business and our operations,” adding that his love for the Berkshires makes him the right person to lead the paper into the future.

The Berkshire Eagle publishes daily in print and online, alongside The B magazine, The Shoppers Guide, BerkshiresWeek.com and Berkshire Business Journal.