“Simply the best newspaper executive I have had the pleasure of knowing” is how Black Press President David Black describes Rick O’Connor. Black’s nomination along with supporting recommendations from nine of Rick’s colleagues and staff pushed him to the top of a very impressive group of nominees for the 2009 Dean Lesher Award.

The Reporter newspapers are part of Sound Publishing, Inc., which in turn is a subsidiary of Sound Publishing Holdings, Inc. SPHI is wholly owned by Black Press.

O’Connor’s accomplishments are many as are his contributions to the community and the industry. He started out as an owner of a small newspaper company in a small British Columbia town and ultimately left to work for Black Press, eventually moving up to Chief Operating Officer overseeing 150 titles and 3,000 employees.

The Dean Lesher Award focuses on innovation and looks to reward those individuals that have pioneered new concepts that have served as examples for the rest of the industry.

O’Connor will receive the award during a luncheon on September 23 at the Intercontinental Kansas City during the SNA Fall Publishers’ & Advertising Directors Conference.