Exclusive Q&A with Whitney-Lehr Koening of Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal

By Doug Loon
President and CEO
Minnesota Chamber of Commerce

Rather than my usual commentary, I’m thrilled to share that I have a guest with me today: Whitney-Lehr Koening, President and Publisher of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. She’s joining me here in the office in St. Paul to share a little about the work of the publication and her leadership role there.

She just started as President and Publisher in June, but she’s been with the organization since 2018. Whitney-Lehr, thank you for being here.

Whitney-Lehr Koening: Thanks for having me, Doug.

Doug Loon: Tell us a little about yourself and how you found yourself in journalism, publishing, and managing a publication as noteworthy as the one you’re with now.

WLK: I’ve always had a career in corporate partnerships or sales. I came up through the sales side at the Business Journal. I started as a rep back in 2018 and was lucky to have wonderful mentors like Kathy, our previous publisher. Sometimes it’s about being in the right place at the right time—that’s kind of how I ended up in this seat.

I was on our sales team for about four and a half years, and now here I am. A fun fact about me is that I was an English major in college and worked on my college newspaper. That always surprises our editorial team!

DL: My daughter graduated with a degree in English, too. She’s in the marketing business now.

WLK: Gotta love those liberal arts degrees!

DL: You’re leading a terrific organization with a rich legacy here in the Twin Cities marketplace. As you think about the business and growing your readership, what strategies have you been using to reach your current readers and extend to new ones?

WLK: For us, as a business-to-business publication, our primary audience is C-suite executives and up-and-coming leaders in the Twin Cities metro area.

We focus on exclusive content and scoops—things our editorial team can report on that others aren’t getting or don’t know about. We have 10 full-time reporters and editors who are very well connected, which allows us to keep our finger on the pulse of the business community.

We also work hard through events to connect with new audiences and different members of the community, both in the for-profit and nonprofit sectors.

DL: As you describe that, it reminds me a lot of the Chamber’s work. Your readership is our membership, and we have such a diverse group of businesses across the state. We’re telling their stories, too.

Are there businesses or business leaders who inspire you, who provide the kinds of stories the publication looks for?

WLK: Oh, that’s a tough question—there are so many. For me, lately, I’ve been excited about innovation. I’ve also had personal interests in angel investing opportunities. I did an Angel University program through Groove Capital, focusing on supporting women-owned and diverse-owned businesses across Minnesota.

I got connected to that through Engage Venture Partners—Kelly Purkle, one of their partners, introduced me to Michaela at Groove. I love seeing all those connections come together and finding ways to personally support the future growth of Minnesota businesses.

DL: That’s fantastic. The future of our economy relies on innovation, great leadership, and attracting investment. We’re actually working on a report about improving Minnesota’s productivity, and investment plays such a key role.

I understand you’re working on a program called Twin Cities Icons. It’s a new series for 2025. Tell us about it.

WLK: Yes, Twin Cities Icons is all about feel-good stories. We’re featuring smaller brick-and-mortar businesses that have been around the Twin Cities metro for 25-plus years.

So far, we’ve highlighted businesses like Cossettas in downtown St. Paul, Matt’s Bar, Snuffy’s Malt Shop and Electric Fetus. We’re publishing these stories twice a month through the end of 2025.

The goal is to share their stories before we’re writing about them closing. Instead of covering crowdfunding or closures, we want to highlight how these businesses make up the fabric of our community and encourage people to continue supporting them.

DL: That’s fantastic. It’s great to hear the positive stories because businesses in Minnesota don’t always get the recognition they deserve.

Six months into your new role, what excites you most about the work you’re doing?

WLK: I’m a connector—I love meeting new people, understanding what they’re trying to accomplish, and figuring out how we can support them.

At the Business Journal, our mission is to help people grow their business, advance their career, and simplify their professional life. I personally love doing that through connecting.

I’ll have coffee with someone, then go to lunch and think, “Oh my gosh, have you met this person I just had coffee with? You’re both doing amazing things.” I love making those connections—introducing the right hand to the left hand, so to speak, and helping people who don’t know each other realize how much they have in common.

DL: That’s one of the great things about our regional economy—it’s big enough to be dynamic, but small enough to make meaningful connections.

WLK: Exactly.

DL: Whitney-Lehr, thank you for joining us and for everything you’re doing to support Minnesota businesses. I hope you’ll come back again soon.

WLK: Absolutely. Thanks for having me, Doug.