COEUR d'ALENE - He's climbed the 13,775-foot Grand Teton in Wyoming, taken center stage in Minnesota community theater and overseen newspaper online and print advertising growth for almost two decades.

Now David Habrat can call Coeur d'Alene home.

Habrat started work this week as director of advertising for Hagadone Newspapers' daily and weekly publications throughout North Idaho.

"After an extensive six-month search nationwide, David was selected for his broad experience in community news media," said Jim Thompson, publisher of The Press and newly announced regional publisher for the same group of North Idaho newspapers. "We're thrilled to have someone of David's personal and professional character on board."

Habrat, 46, found a lot to like in his new community - one he's had his eye on for some time.

"Early on in my marriage with Amy, we surveyed the country and imagined places to live. North Idaho was on our very short list," he said. "I had vacationed some as a kid, but the fact is we just looked at park books and went online and looked at cities that were recommended.

"Past the natural beauty of it all, both the Cd'A Press and Coeur d'Alene share in a progressive, spirited move forward.

There's momentum here. Professionally, it's revealed the newspaper's commitment to quality journalism, to information that's smart and makes you smarter, that's surprising and delighting. North Idaho is as business friendly as you'll find, too, and that's important to me."

Habrat's view of the local marketplace and of community newspapers' overall potential also proved a match for Thompson and Hagadone Newspapers.

"Newspaper media companies are at an important crossroad," he said. "Progressive companies have recognized and acknowledged that the community owns the paper and they will dictate the content delivery system of the future through their choice of traditional, digital services or both. However, the appetite for quality journalism is stronger than ever. That also extends to the commercial messaging we provide and the businesses it supports. Marketing is a craft, and it's critically important.

"The Cd'A Press was attractive to me in its thoughtful approach to providing quality marketing solutions based on formulas that work. We're interested in discovering what makes a business exceptional, and helping them stand out in a crowded field."

Habrat, who graduated in 1990 from University of Wisconsin - La Crosse and in 1993 from RHEMA Seminary in Tulsa, Okla., worked as a Bally general sales manager and head personal training instructor before launching his newspaper career. From 1994 to 2005 he held various sales and management roles with the Cambridge (Minn.) Star News, Home and Family News and the St. Cloud Times.

From 2005 until his move to Coeur d'Alene, Habrat was advertising director for The Free Press in Mankato, Minn. - a newspaper roughly the size of the Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls Press - while also serving as the regional sales and marketing vice president for parent company Community News Holdings Inc. CNHI owns dozens of community newspapers throughout the East, South and Midwest.

Habrat and his wife, Amy, have four children: Zachary, 25; Joy, 21; Gloria, 13; Royal, 9.