As Northern Nevada Business Weekly nears its 15th anniversary this August, it will do so with a new publisher, Kirsten McGregor.
When Brooke Warner, general manager of NNBW’s parent company Sierra Nevada Media Group (SNMG), called to see if she would be interested in the position, McGregor figured it was a perfect time to transition into a new role.
“What really drew me to the position (at NNBW) was the opportunity to be creative and innovative for a publication servicing a market that had been struggling, but now has great growth potential,” McGregor said. “The intersectional aspects are very interesting to me. You have the legacy businesses (in northern Nevada) such as the casinos, and this new blood coming in with Tesla and Amazon, among others, layered with the influx of new businesses servicing a new population base. It’s a fascinating time here in Reno and I’m excited to be a part of it.”
McGregor comes to northern Nevada from Ventura, Calif., where she previously served at the public television broadcasting company in Santa Barbara.
She has a diverse and varied background with more than 25 years experience in senior management positions in for-profit and nonprofit organizations. Her professional experiences includes positions such as associate director of the Worldwide Network for Gender Empowerment, Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara and president of environmentally related organizations including Global Green Carbon Corp. and ForestLIVE. Prior to her nonprofit and environmental work she served in a senior management capacity in diverse industries including telecommunications, law, and packaged goods. Early in her career she was part of the Seattle dot-com boom (and bust) and then managed the famous Ivar’s chain of banquet operations. She even opened her own 4-star rated restaurant in Sun Valley, Idaho, and for a time was a wine and food critic.
She has also worked extensively with the Hispanic Business Media Group, a 30-year-old group of organizations intended to promote advertising, communications and publishing services to the Latin American and Hispanic business community in the United States, Mexico, and South American countries.
“Throughout my career, there’s always been an entrepreneurial spirit,” McGregor said. “From start-up operations to publicly traded companies I’ve been interested and fascinated by so many things.”
McGregor was born in Virginia. Early on her father was a colonel in the military, so she lived in various parts of the world. She earned a Bachelor’s of Arts degree from the University of Washington, and a pre-medicine degree from Boise State University.
In addition to her role with NNBW, McGregor will also serve in the newly-created position of general manager of SNMG’s Reno office, which oversees other publications including Healthy Beginnings, Everything Nevada, and The Big Nickel.
“Because it is a new position, there’s some flexibility in what the job entails, but right now my prime directive is overseeing NNBW. But we will see as things progress,” McGregor said.
“As for NNBW, I’d like to see an integration of online, print and events and leveraging the strengths we have across the various platforms. NNBW has been servicing Northern Nevada businesses for 15 years, there’s a great opportunity here for the next 15!”
She is married to her husband Michael Hewes and has a 13-year-old chocolate Labrador, Lucy. In her spare time, McGregor enjoys traveling, riding horses as well as hiking and biking. She is looking forward to all the outdoor opportunities northern Nevada has to offer.
Warner added that she is pleased to have McGregor on board as NNBW moves forward.
“The Reno market is in the early stages of a robust renaissance and growth spurt,” Warner said. “Kirsten, by her very nature, experience, and energy, is the right person to help NNBW evolve to keep pace, continue to serve the community, and support their efforts to opportunistically thrive, and be set up for long term sustainability.”
McGregor replaces Alsy Brinkmeyer, who is leaving SNMG after accepting a position as general manager of the Bonner County Daily Bee, Bonners Ferry Herald and the Priest River Times in Coeur de A’lene, Idaho.
