Minnesota’s economic development commissioner leaving to become newspaper publisher

Christopher Magan, Pioneer Press
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Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development Commissioner Steve Grove is leaving state government to become the next publisher of the Star Tribune in Minneapolis.

Gov. Tim Walz, who appointed Grove in January 2019, thanked and congratulated him in a statement released Tuesday, which said the commissioner’s last day would be March 2. Deputy Commissioner Kevin McKinnon will fill in until a permanent successor is picked by Walz.

“Commissioner Grove has truly exemplified what it means to be a public servant and advocate for the state of Minnesota,” Walz said in a statement. “He led Minnesota’s workers and businesses through the COVID-19 pandemic, made Minnesota’s economy one of the strongest in the country, and promoted Minnesota as a player on the global stage.”

The newspaper confirmed the hire in a news release.

Grove, 45, will replace Mike Klingensmith, who announced his retirement last fall after 13 years with the newspaper. The Star Tribune is owned by Mankato billionaire and former Minnesota lawmaker Glen Taylor.

Grove grew up in Northfield, worked for his parents’ landscaping business and attended Harvard. He and his wife Mary founded a Silicon Valley nonprofit in 2014 and moved back to Minnesota in 2018.

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