TURLOCK — Hank Vander Veen has joined the Turlock Journal and Ceres Courier as the new general manager.

Vander Veen’s career in the newspaper business began at a young age as a carrier for the Modesto Bee, which he turned into a 26-year stint with McClatchy — first in Modesto, then as publisher of the Merced Sun-Star.

Most recently, he held the position of chief operating officer for ABS Direct, a mailing and advertising company based in Modesto.

Vander Veen is looking forward to helping the Journal continue to be the voice of the community, and building strong partnerships with local businesses.

“I believe in newspaper and I believe in what we do,” he said. “My goal is to make the Turlock Journal the best newspaper it can be. I plan on listening to our readers and advertisers to find out what they want to see in the newspaper and our other products.”

Vander Veen currently serves on the Sierra Vista board of directors. During his time as publisher of the Sun-Star he was involved with One Voice, the Boys and Girls Club, and the UC Merced Foundation. Vander Veen also referees at local high school basketball games, something he’s done for 18 years.

He is a graduate of Modesto Junior College a current student at CSU Stanislaus and the other lives and works in Turlock.

He can be contacted at hvanderveen@turlockjournal.com or hvanderveen@cerescourier.com, and by phone at 209-634-9141. His office is located at the Turlock Journal office, 138 S. Center St.

The Turlock Journal is part of Morris Newspaper Corp. of CA, a Central Valley group of community newspapers, shoppers, and websites that also includes the Ceres Courier, Manteca Bulletin, Escalon Times, Oakdale Leader and Riverbank News. The company is family-owned by Morris Multimedia from Savannah, Ga.