Growth is a word that gets used often in business. But real growth — the kind that reshapes a company — requires difficult decisions, clear vision and a willingness to evolve.
This week, I want to share one of those decisions.
With a mix of gratitude and anticipation, we have made the decision to sell our Nelson Media Company building in St. Ansgar. The property will soon be listed with Kolbet Realtors, led by Kevin Kolbet and his team.
This building has been an important part of our story.
When we purchased it in 2021, Nelson Media Company was, at its core, a video production business rooted in Mitchell County. The space fit that moment perfectly. We fully renovated the building — a true, top-to-bottom transformation — creating a modern, functional workspace with new offices, updated amenities and a layout designed for creativity and collaboration.
It was exactly what we needed at the time.
But companies, like communities, do not stand still.
In just a few short years, Nelson Media Company has expanded in ways that would have been difficult to fully imagine back then. We have grown our video production footprint well beyond our local market and, at the same time, acquired eight weekly newspapers — including the Osage Oracle, the Belmond Independent, the Nora Springs-Rockford Register and others across the state — building a network that now spans multiple communities throughout Iowa.
That growth has created new opportunities — and new responsibilities.
It has also made one thing clear: the next phase of our company requires a more central, scalable location to support our operations, our team and the vision we are building toward.
As a result, we are actively exploring the transition of our operational headquarters to Mason City — a move driven by both geography and strategy. With several of our newspapers based in and around the Mason City area, the opportunity to centralize operations in the hub of North Iowa allows us to better collaborate, respond faster and continue building a stronger, more connected media network.
This is not a departure. It is an expansion.
Mason City represents a strategic hub for where our company is headed — not only for our current operations, but for future projects that will continue to push forward innovative, community-focused journalism across North Iowa and beyond.
At the same time, our commitment to Mitchell County remains unchanged.
This is where our company was built. It is where relationships were formed, where trust was earned and where our foundation will always exist. Through the Osage Oracle, we will continue to serve Osage and the surrounding communities with the same dedication to strong, hyper-local journalism and storytelling that has defined our work from the beginning. We will also continue our video production work across Mitchell County, including ongoing partnerships with Riceville and Osage schools, Mitchell County Regional Health Center and many other local businesses and organizations.
That will not change.
What is changing is our scale — and our responsibility to manage that growth the right way.
In business, there is a moment when momentum alone is no longer enough. Growth must be supported by structure, discipline and long-term thinking. Expanding too quickly without that foundation can undo even the most promising organizations.
We are not interested in being that kind of company.
Every decision we are making right now is centered on sustainability — ensuring that each of our newspapers, each of our services and each part of our organization is strong, stable and positioned to succeed for years to come.
Selling this building is not the end of something.
It is a signal of what comes next.
We are proud of what we built in St. Ansgar. We are grateful for the role this space has played in our journey. And we are even more excited about the opportunities ahead — not just for our company, but for the communities we serve across North Iowa.
The next chapter is already underway.
And we believe it will be our most impactful yet.