The Business Journal celebrates 30 years of publishing

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Friday's edition of The Business Journal will be a milestone -- 30 years of existence.

Senior Reporter Rich Kirchen has been there for most of those years.

"When I started 23 plus years ago, we just had that once-a-week paper. Now, we're spending more and more of our time on the web; doing stories online," said Kirchen.

Not to mention, Business Journal reporters make weekday appearances on FOX6 News at 11.

Kirchen has watched both the paper and the City of Milwaukee evolve. That includes being witness to an exodus of manufacturing jobs.

"There still are a lot of people who either never got jobs again after the manufacturing layoffs in the 80s and 90s or were not able to get jobs that paid as well. So that's still a challenge for our economy," said Kirchen. "But in the meantime, there has been a lot of other growth."

Kirchen writes the cover story for the special edition. So much has happened in 30 years, it was hard for editors at The Business Journal to decide what to include in the paper.

For example, did you know in the 1980s there was a big debate about putting a prison in the Menomonee Valley? That nugget made it in Friday's edition.

"Think about that. If they had a prison there today, it would be right next door to Miller Park," said Mark Kass, Editor-in-Chief for The Business Journal. "Not the kind of thing you would want for a community."

Now, the paper is looking towards the future.

"Now, the focus is on water. It's on new technology. It's on entrepreneurship. It's on startups," said Kass.

Whatever the news is in the next 30 years, The Business Journal hopes to be around to cover it.