Sound Publishing this week announced the hiring of Brennan Purtzer as the new publisher of the Bonney Lake and Sumner Courier-Herald and the Enumclaw Courier-Herald.

Purtzer replaces Bill Marcum, who left in September to pursue other opportunities with the company.

Purtzer, 28, is an experienced media professional and sales manager from the Northwest. The bulk of his seasoning has come from his founding and operation of the Molokai Island Times weekly community newspaper, as its editor and publisher from 2004 – 2007. Purtzer also co-founded the Hawaiian Pacific Media group and operated the Hawaii Golf Journal as its publisher and advertising director.

For his success at developing new business models that succeed in nearly impossible climates, he was recognized as the 2008 Young Entrepreneur of the Year by the Maui Small Business Association.

His varied background includes work in all types of media. He served as an online news editor, radio station manager and a television news anchor long before becoming a successful advertising director at Salem Monthly in Oregon. At Salem Monthly, the most widely distributed publication in the Mid-Willamette Valley, his team increased revenue by 50 percent (over the previous year), despite the onset of the recession in 2009.