Dec. 3 – BEMIDJI – Christine Olson has joined the Bemidji Pioneer and BuyLine as general manager and advertising director, succeeding Todd Keute, who is retiring at the end of the year.
In addition, Jarrod Thorson has been hired as a marketing consultant.
Olson moved to Bemidji in February 2020 to become Chief Financial Officer at Northland Fishing Tackle. When
Northland was purchased last month by Texas-based GSM Outdoors,
with plans to close the Bemidji facility, she hoped to find a new leadership position in the city. Keute’s plan to retire after a 42-year career in the newspaper industry gave Olson that opportunity.
“I loved the entrepreneurial spirit that the Peterson family (founders of Northland) brought to our community,” Olson said. “I loved leading my team at Northland every day… and having the opportunity to look for growth and new business to take on. I was looking for another role that would offer similar opportunities .I didn’t want to leave Bemidji.”
Olson said that while her career has focused on finance and accounting, she looks forward to the challenge of learning more about the changing media industry and being more visible in the Bemidji community.
“I’m excited to learn something completely new and bring a fresh perspective to it,” she said, “and to get out into the community and continue to meet more people. The Pioneer isn’t just a newspaper anymore. We’ We are multimedia and we bring news every day, not just on Wednesdays and Saturdays.”
Olson will also oversee operations at Blackduck American and Park Rapids Enterprise.
Thorson joined Pioneer and BuyLine as a route representative at Aramark in Bemidji after three years. The Bemidji High School graduate looks forward to continuing to work with local businesses, this time with marketing solutions.
“Working at Aramark really sparked my interest in sales,” said Thorson. “Whatever you sell, it’s all the same approach. You research your customer, you find a solution to a problem, and then you offer your product and your services as that solution.”
Meanwhile, Keute reflects on a long media career that began at Red Wing Publishing and included positions at International Falls, Hibbing, Va., and Superior, Wis. He started working in Bemidji 10 years ago when he bought BuyLine. He has been advertising director of both publications since 2017, when Pioneer and BuyLine merged. From 2019 to 2023 he was also publisher.
“The team we have here at Pioneer and BuyLine is just a great group to work with,” said Keute. “It was a pleasure to be with all those people. It’s a fun environment and a great culture. I appreciate the support from all the advertisers. I enjoyed helping them build their business. Thanks to all the readers and advertisers who support our products, both on the print and digital side.”
