(Terri Castelaz/Daily News photo) CORKY DEROECK IS retiring today after 13 years at The Daily News, the past seven as publisher. He also headed the Daily Press in Escanaba since 2017.

IRON MOUNTAIN — After more than seven years leading The Daily News through everything from technology changes to a pandemic, Corky DeRoeck retires this week as publisher of The Daily News.

DeRoeck, also publisher of The Daily Press in Escanaba since 2017, will end his time with both newspapers effective today.

“While I’m looking forward to retirement, I’ll still be active in Dickinson County with my wife, Sue, whether it be shopping, dining out or just being happy to be alive,” DeRoeck said. “Dickinson County is a wonderful community to be in.”

DeRoeck has had a storied history with Upper Peninsula newspapers. He started his career with Ogden Newspapers in October 2010 as an advertising representative at The Daily News, then was promoted to advertising manager.

He took the helm at The Daily News in February 2016, after the retirement of longtime publisher Bob Johnson the previous month.

It was a position that fit well for the Air Force veteran. He went on to add the title of general manager of Powers Printing, which prints The Daily News and Daily Press in Powers, and in 2017 took over as the Daily Press’ publisher.

With two papers and a printing plant under his guidance, DeRoeck put on many miles traveling between locations and his home in Norway, where he has lived for 18 years. In retirement, he intends to enjoy more time with his wife and silver Labrador retriever Maudie, along with fishing, vegetable gardening, partridge hunting and leisure reading.

“I, along with my wife, plan on continuing to live in Norway,” DeRoeck said.

DeRoeck noted his time as publisher saw a number of significant changes for the Ogden Newspapers in Upper Peninsula. The Daily News — along with the Daily Press, The Mining Journal in Marquette and The Mining Gazette in Houghton — transitioned from being afternoon to morning papers, switched from carrier delivery to delivery through the U.S. Postal Service, and made major technology upgrades, both at the newspapers and at Powers Printing, which took on printing all four daily newspapers.

“The company has invested a lot of money in the last two years into the presses in Powers to improve the quality of our print product, and the company is firmly committed to producing a daily newspaper reflecting the daily record of what happens in our community,” he said.

It also was a trying time, as the COVID-19 pandemic loomed over operations, but DeRoeck’s favorite part of his job has been helping department managers overcome challenges. The pandemic was difficult, but it was a storm that could be weathered, he said.

“That was a tremendous lift, and I could not have done it without the support of all the employees coming together to get through it together and get the papers out on a daily basis — and we never failed to get one of the issues out during COVID,” he said.

“It truly has been an honor to serve the communities in Dickinson, Iron and northcentral Menominee counties, along with Florence and northern Marinette counties in Wisconsin,” DeRoeck said. “I look forward to my future in these communities.”