Rick Parrish is the new publisher at The Daily News, which he says is a homecoming for his family. Parrish met with the newspaper’s staff Tuesday afternoon, saying he’s thrilled to return to Washington.

“To match the best job you’ve ever had in a place you absolutely love and call home, it’s really kind of a no-brainer,” Parrish said of the new job. “It’s very exciting for us.”

Parrish, 43, has been the publisher of The Journal Times in Racine, Wis., since 2007, joining the paper in 2005 as the advertising director. Both The Daily News and the Racine paper are owned by Lee Enterprises.

The family loved their time in Racine, but Parrish’s wife and son were both born in Washington and Parrish himself moved here as young boy and grew up in the Bothell-Kenmore area. They have “friends and family from Portland to Everett,” and an elk bull Parrish hunted near Mount St. Helens is proudly displayed in the family’s home.

So coming back to Washington was a dream come true.

“Wisconsin is a beautiful place, but it’s not home,” Parrish told his new staff Tuesday. “It had to be something big for us leave Racine. This is the right time and the right place.”

Parrish started work immediately Tuesday afternoon, saying he wants to learn about the community and the newspaper. He plans to continue to emphasize strong reporting with a local focus.

“Strong, local news is what Lee is all about,” he told the staff.

“We reach more people in the Longview-Kelso area than anyone else does,” he said. “And we’re also the best place to market your business with our suite of products both in print and online. That’s a very powerful combination.”

The newspaper industry has struggled with declining circulation and revenue, but Parrish said he’s seen the demand for news increase rather than decrease. The challenge, he said, is for newspapers to reclaim their role of being the first and best source of information.

There’s lots of information available on the Internet, he said, but not the quality journalism produced by “professional journalists trained to get the story right.”

“We produce quality journalism and people can trust what they read,” he said. “And when we get it wrong, the reader has someone to call. And when you produce a better product, people recognize that.”

“You are getting an absolutely wonderful publisher,” Lee Enterprises Vice President Mike Gulledge said Tuesday. “He has a great track record of success. … He is innovative, moves with a sense of urgency and is passionate about our business.”

Before joining Lee, Parrish was retail advertising manager at the Idaho Statesman in Boise, and previously advanced in sales, administration and management positions at The Seattle Times. In Seattle, he served as advertising sales executive, online sales executive, advertising sales manager and general manager of the newspaper’s distribution subsidiary. He received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Central Washington University.

Parrish and his wife Jan have a 10-year-old son, Troy, who is in the fourth grade. Parrish is a youth basketball and baseball coach and his wife and he both were active in the Sacred Heart Parish in Racine. Parrish is an active runner, golfer and hunter.

Parrish replaces Linda Lindus, who left in August to take a job in California.