By Staff
NILES - Denis L. Mindak has been named Leader Publications director of advertising sales, announced Jan Griffey, the company's president and publisher.
Leader Publications publishes the Niles Daily Star, Dowagiac Daily News, Cassopolis Vigilant, Edwardsburg Argus and The Leader.
Prior to joining the Leader family of newspapers, Mindak served as director of advertising and marketing for Liberty Suburban Chicago Newspapers, a group of weekly suburban newspapers serving the western suburbs of Chicago.
Earlier, he served as president for Minnesota Sun Publications in Minneapolis, a group of weekly newspapers serving the north and western suburbs of Minneapolis, Minn.
In 1994, Mindak engineered a network of new startup publications for the Providence Journal, with complete responsibility for setting up offices in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
From 1980 to 1992, he served as chief operating officer for Shopper Enterprises in Blue Earth, Minn., and was instrumental in acquiring and rejuvenating 38 under-performing properties across the country, growing advertising revenues at each. Mindak also spent 11 years in retail operations, serving in management capacities for Woolworth/Woolco stores in six major markets.
Mindak has served on numerous national boards and industry councils, including the Association of Free Community Papers, Independent Free Papers of America and Minnesota Free Paper Association. He attended the University of Missouri where he pursued business studies.
Denis and his wife, Katie, are looking forward to their relocation to Niles.
The Mindaks are the parents of two sons.
Son Kevin serves in the US Army as a Major in military intelligence. He and his wife, Lisa, reside in Pinehurst, N.C., and have two children, Matthew and Kelly. Son Shawn is in the mortgage business. He and his wife, Karin, reside in Deep Haven, a suburb of Minneapolis with their two children, Kate and Jonathan.
Mindak's hobbies include golfing, fishing and electronic gadgets.