Dear Business Record, dsm and ia magazine readers:

Over BPC’s 40-year history, we have undergone many changes and today, I want to inform you of an upcoming transition in our leadership. In a planned CEO succession, Suzanna de Baca will transition her leadership role at Business Publications Corp. (BPC) to group publisher Chris Conetzkey, who will assume the role of president at year-end. Suzanna, who has served in her role since 2018, will remain involved with BPC as a strategic adviser and editorial contributor while pursuing outside business and creative ventures. A transition plan has been underway and will continue through the remainder of the year.

I’m grateful for Suzanna’s many contributions. Under her leadership, BPC has continued to innovate and grow. In addition to expanding our audiences and overseeing significant digital transformation efforts, Suzanna spearheaded the creation of numerous new products, including Iowa Stops Hunger, Envision Iowa, ia newsletter, dsm Home Design Awards, Discover Diverse Des Moines, dsm LGBTQ Legacy Leader Awards and the Lifting the Veil events series, among others. The organization was recognized three times during her tenure by Editor & Publisher as one of “Ten Publishers to Watch” and earned a record number of honors for excellence and innovation from publishing industry associations including Alliance of Area Business Publishers and the City and Regional Magazine Association. Under Suzanna’s leadership, BPC added staff and invested in team members’ advancement, growing even during the pandemic.

Suzanna has been recognized as a leader in the media industry and the community, serving on the board of the City and Regional Magazine Association, as past chair of the Greater Des Moines Committee, on the executive committee and board of the Greater Des Moines Partnership, board member of the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines and Delta Dental of Iowa Foundation and past president of Nexus Women’s Alliance. She currently serves on several corporate boards, including Community State Bank, Bill Jacobs Cos., the advisory board of the Lauridsen Group Inc. and the board of the National Association of Corporate Directors. She plans to remain active in the community and board activities. 

I am confident BPC will be in great hands under Chris’ leadership. Chris has been with the organization for 14 years and has steadily advanced; after getting his start as a Business Record reporter, he returned from a stint at ESPN and was promoted to editor in 2011 and to publisher in 2018. He was promoted to group publisher of BPC in 2022, a role in which he has overseen the Business Record, dsm Magazine and BPC Custom divisions. 

Chris has a proven track record of success leading the BPC teams in producing and providing high-quality news and information to our community. Chris is widely recognized for his leadership in the media industry, serving as the president of the board for both the Iowa Newspaper Foundation and the Alliance of Area Business Publishers, and as an Honorary Advisory Council Member for the Iowa State University Greenlee School of Journalism. He is active and invested in the community, serving on the board of Urban Dreams, the Greater Des Moines Partnership marketing committee and as a former board member of the Iowa State Daily. He is well prepared and positioned to carry on BPC’s mission to inform, inspire, elevate and celebrate our communities.

Since I founded BPC four decades ago, we have been a strong company and have steadily evolved and grown. From the beginning, we have prided ourselves on proactive planning. I am pleased that our succession plan has enabled us to seamlessly promote top leadership from within our talented ranks and to retain Suzanna’s strategic input.

We thank Suzanna for her many contributions as CEO and look forward to Chris transitioning into this leadership role at year-end. As always, we remain committed to serving the community as your source of business news and cultural information now and into the future.

Thank you for your continued support of our organization.

Sincerely,