Gary Gaier began his newspaper career as the advertising director at the Chippewa (Falls) Herald Telegram. He quickly rose to the position of general manager. Around that time, Gary installed one of the first offset presses in Wisconsin, the press that printed publications including the first version of the Menards circular. Later, he served as group manager for Lavine Newspaper Group, overseeing a several Wisconsin dailies, including the Portage Daily Register, Baraboo News Republic and Shawano Leader. Then, Gary started a consulting company, Profit Plus, which worked with newspapers in the Midwest and Alaska. A mentor to many in the industry, Gary was named Wisconsin Newspaper Association Publisher of the Year in 1988.
The avid hunter and fisherman enjoyed spending time outdoors with family and friends. Gary also loved his land, which was enrolled in the West Wisconsin Land Trust, a conservation group. He was known as an active conversationalist. Gary died Jan. 3, 2015, at 77. He and his wife, Judy, had five children and 10 grandchildren.
