MARSHALL — Grant Gibbons was announced as the new publisher of the Marshall Independent on Tuesday.

Gibbons will be replacing Greg Orear, who was publisher of the Independent and the New Ulm Journal since 2016. Orear has taken a publishing position with a newspaper group in Missouri.

Gibbons is relocating to Minnesota from Fort Dodge, Iowa, where he has been regional circulation manager for the Fort Dodge Messenger since 2000.

Gibbons said he was excited to be at the Independent, and looked forward to getting to know the Marshall community.

“Marshall is a great community. I’ve visited here many times before,” Gibbons said Tuesday. “I think it’s a vibrant community, a growing community.”

As regional circulation manager for Ogden Newspapers in the area, Gibbons has traveled and worked with papers in Marshall, New Ulm and Fairmont in Minnesota, as well as in other upper Midwest states.

“I look forward to continuing to build on what we already have, with a solid foundation for news, and continue to provide a relevant and dynamic news product,” Gibbons said of his new role with the Independent.

“The newspaper serves a vital role in the community. We appreciate the community support and the business support we get. We want to provide a great newspaper for our readers and advertisers,” Gibbons said.

Gibbons is a native of Albany, Wis., south of Madison. He studied journalism and political science at the University of Wisconsin in Oshkosh, and has been in the newspaper business since 1988. He has worked in circulation and management positions in for newspapers in Wisconsin and Iowa.

Gibbons said he’s interested in history and sports, and used to play basketball. He’s also been involved in community organizations and local government over the years. He served as mayor of Harcourt, Iowa, for six years.

He also served on the school board for the Southeast Webster-Grand School District in the Burnside, Iowa, area.

Gibbons is married to his wife Staci of 26 years. They have three children — a daughter Sydney who teaches elementary school in Chicago, a son Joshua who is a second-year med student at Des Moines University, and a daughter Leah who teaches music in New Prague.