FORTY UNDER 40: Kevin Whitmer

The Star-Ledger

Shepherding the business and sports sections of the state's largest daily newspaper can be daunting in light of the rivals at hand. "Every morning you're competing with The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and all the other papers," says Kevin Whitmer, 35, the assistant

Journalism was not Whitmer's first choice for a career. He studied economics at Rutgers University in New Brunswick before switching to journalism and landing a job at The CourierNews in Bridgewater during his sophomore year. Whitmer answered the phone and took down high school sports scores. He reached the level of assistant sports editor before heading to New York City and leaving Rutgers without completing his degree.

Whitmer's next stop was the New York Daily News, where he worked as a sports copy editor. A strike at the Daily News sent him to part-time employment at the supermarket tabloid Star and the New York Post. After the strike, Whitmer returned to the Daily News and became sports editor in 1992.

Whitmer, who is married with three children, crossed the Hudson River again in 1996 to become sports editor of The Star-Ledger, whose editor, Jim Willse, had been editor and publisher of the Daily News. Whitmer added business to his portfolio in his capacity as assistant managing editor for sports and business, a position he has held for three years. A relative newcomer to the world of business, Whitmer considers that to be a virtue. "We like to think it's a section that's not intimidating," he says of the paper's coverage. "I think that's where my lack of education in business has helped. I want it to be a section I can understand and all of our readers can understand."