Annandale (MN) Advocate changes hands

Annandale (MN) Advocate changes hands

On Oct. 1, Michele and Ed Pawlenty, owners of the neighboring Maple Lake (MN) Messenger, officially purchased the Annandale (MN) Advocate from Steve Prinsen and his wife Sharon Schumacher. Prinsen plans to remain active at the Advocate to guide the business into the future.

Julie Bergman, Vice President – Newspaper Group of Grimes, McGovern & Associates, represented the sellers in the transaction.

“The Advocate is about as old as Annandale itself and I’m so happy to start this next chapter,” Prinsen said.

The Pawlentys own four newspapers as part of their company Paw Publications LLC. Ed is the publisher at the Battle Lake Review and Ashby-Dalton Post, and Michele is the publisher in Maple Lake. Both the Pawlentys and the Prinsens see the sale as a natural fit for the two neighboring communities that already have so much in common.

He and Sharon have owned the Advocate since 1990. The couple bought it from John Fisher and his wife Ann Jennen who owned it since 1983.

“Steve and Sharon have done a great job and we welcome their help on continuing a great tradition,” Ed Pawlenty said.

“I want to thank them for running a great paper all these years,” Michele added.