Editor shuffle at the Post-Dispatch

From what I've heard, the business department has taken a big hit lately and lost several talented people -- editors and reporters.

We are excited to announce two staff changes that we believe will accelerate our efforts to sharpen our local news report.

ADAM GOODMAN is now deputy managing editor for Metro and Business News.

Adam has terrific credentials for this expanded leadership role and one of our priorities in making this move is strengthening our coverage through collaboration between business and metro reporters. Adam shares our commitment to strong local business coverage.

In coming weeks, Adam will be assessing the overall structure of the two departments and it is possible some assistant editors will be supervising teams that include metro and business reporters.

Adam brings to the position deep familarity with the St. Louis business world, thanks to his many years as a business reporter and editor. His beats included real estate, banking, aerospace and defense. He moved to Metro in the late 1990s as an assistant editor and subsequently has had stints as environmental reporter, science editor and deputy metro editor. He was named assistant managing editor in 2005.

When we recently asked Adam to lead our coverage of the Anheuser-Busch saga, he swiftly organized an expanded team of business and metro reporters and editors and helped them identify and execute a series of smart enterprise stories while also keeping on top of breaking developments. The resulting coverage distinguished us as a leading source on this important story.

IRV HARRELL moves to join the Metro/Business team as an assistant editor. Irv will continue to spend about a third of his time leading our newsroom recruiting efforts. Irv will assume his new duties shortly after returning from vacation later this month.

Irv knows his way around a newsroom: he's been a designer, a copy editor, assistant news editor and night city editor and in addition to the Post-Dispatch has worked at several newspapers in Florida, including The Tampa Tribune and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Until last year, he worked on Adam's team as politics editor.

Please join us in congratulating Adam and Irv.

-- Arnie Robbins & Pam Maples