At a time when some advertisers are shying away from newspapers, Matt Bute helped a new newspaper succeed.

The 1999 NIU graduate joined the Chicago Tribune’s advertising sales staff in 2000, after a brief stint at the rival Sun-Times. At the Trib, Matt first sold for city retail, but ended up at the RedEye, Chicago’s young-market tabloid daily. RedEye continues to be hugely popular in the city as it pioneers a new kind of newspaper.

Matt recently served as RedEye’s sales manager, where he helped generate $10 million in revenue. Under his leadership, revenue was up 53 percent for 2006, an amazing feat considering the paper was just four years old last October.

Matt moved out of RedEye and back to the parent Tribune early this year, as he was promoted to automotive manager, selling for the print and online editions, as well as for cars.com.

“In Matt’s position, he must continuously develop new ideas and promotions to meet his client needs and add incremental revenue to meet sales goals,” said Rusty Anglin, Chicago Tribune advertising manager. “His innovative advertising promotions are a foundation of the past year’s growth.”

Matt began his tenure at the Star in 1998 and worked in the advertising department for about a year and a half. Star Business Adviser Maria Krull finds no shortage of words to describe him, both then and now.

“Generous, caring, bigger than life, hard worker, loyal, and outrageous at times, this is the Matt I know,” Maria said. “Clients, colleagues, students who have met him all remember him. Matt has – in one form or another -helped everybody. Nothing seems impossible when you think of Matt.”

“He is great at dealing with people – very disarming,” she continued. “And he will never put the fault on anyone else. If anything, he takes it for others, and he never runs for cover. Never.”