The Faribault County Register staff. Seated in front, left to right, Lori Nauman and Wendy Cole. Back, left to right, Chuck Hunt, Pam True, Diana Mertens, Fiona Green, Kevin Mertens and Kristin Woodwick.

The Blue Earth Chamber of Commerce recently chose a 155-year-old fixture in the Blue Earth business community to receive the Business of the Year Award for 2023.

The Faribault County Register has been serving the community for over a century and a half, albeit under sometimes different names and ownerships.

According to Sarah Ferguson, Blue Earth Chamber executive director, this award is given out in recognition of a business which has shown outstanding commitment to the community, stability, and a future-oriented attitude. It also provides an opportunity to have their hard work, dedication, and entrepreneurial spirit recognized.

“We are very appreciative and so honored that the Chamber has chosen the Register for this award,” publisher Lori Nauman said after receiving the news. “Our entire staff is fully committed to serving our community, so it is nice to be recognized for that.”

Many of the Register’s staff of eight are involved in their community in a variety of ways, from volunteering at church and local organizations, to serving on public boards and committees.

“We encourage our staff to volunteer and give back to the community,” Nauman says. “And many of us do just that.”

The current staff is composed of Nauman, who started at the local newspaper in 1976 when it was owned by Marty and Betty McGowen, of Post Publishing. She has served in various positions and has been publisher/general manager for the past 20 years.

Pam True is currently the Register’s creative design manager. Her newspaper career began in 1983 when she joined the Tuff Publishing staff, which was owned by Robert and Judy Tuff. Like Nauman, she has held several positions, taking on a management roll in 1998.

Kristin Woodwick joined the staff in 2007. In addition to being one of the graphic designers, she is also one of the Register’s sales representatives handling the majority of advertising accounts.

Managing editor Chuck Hunt also came to the Register in 2007 and was recently honored for 50 years in the newspaper business by the Minnesota Newspaper Association.

Staff writer/photographer Kevin Mertens joined the staff full time in 2018, after helping out as a freelance photographer for many years.

Wendy Cole took on the role of circulation manager at the Register in 2019.

The first person to greet you when calling or visiting the Register is Diana Mertens. She became the office manager in 2021.

And completing the staff is Fiona Green who joined the team as a staff writer/photographer in 2021.

“Our years of experience in this business definitely helps us acheive our goal of putting out a good product each week,” Nauman adds. “We take pride that everything is local in our publication…news and events, meeting coverage, sports and feature stories.”

The newspaper is not the only product produced by the Register staff. They create a dozen or more magazines each year, many special sections to the newspaper, and the staff designs and produces many printed products, from posters to brochures and everything in between.

“We have been able to maintain our creative design department and so we create all kinds of printed and electronic graphic art,” Nauman says. “We are fortunate to have three trained graphic artists on our staff.”

The Register also has been recognized over the years by the Minnesota Newspaper Association (MNA) as an award winning newspaper.

“I’ve attended the MNA conventions every year since 1997 and I think we’ve received at least a couple of awards every year since then and maybe before that,” Nauman says. “We were just notified that we will be receiving seven awards at the newspaper convention on Feb. 1.”

In 1989, the Business of the Year was awarded to Shopper Enterprises, Inc., but this is the first time the newspaper itself has been presented with the award.

The presentation to the Register staff will be given at the annual Blue Earth Chamber of Commerce Awards Gala and Annual Meeting on Monday, Jan. 29, at the Riverside Town and Country Golf Club.

“I’m so happy that we are receiving this award as a group,” Nauman says. “Because we are a team at the Register, not just a group of employees. It takes each and every one of us to get the weekly newspaper out to our readers.”

The Faribault County Register is owned by Ogden Newsapers, based out of Wheeling, West Virginia. Nauman adds that Ogden’s corporate staff many times refers to the Register as ‘their shining star’ for their weekly newspapers.

“We strive and all work hard to put out a quality newspaper each week,” Nauman adds. “Our goal is to continue to do so. And we are also appreciative we have strong support from our readers, advertisers and the whole community.”

Nauman concludes, “The Register really is the weekly newspaper that is read every day.”