This might be the most unusual help-wanted ad you've ever read, but I hope it attracts the right people.

The Metro Sports Report is looking for a General Manager to play a major role in the business part of our operation, especially in terms of advertising and generating new revenues.

This will be a new position in our company. Nobody has been fired. Nobody has been laid off. Rather, the time has come to hire someone to help manage our company as it continues to grow.

Many of you know that we launched the Metro Sports Report in January of 2011. We initially covered the seven major high schools in Cedar Rapids and Marion, but since then we've added Cedar Valley Christian, Kirkwood, the Kernels, the RoughRiders, Coe and Mount Mercy.

We'll reach 4 million pageviews next month in less than four years of operation, which I think is astounding. We have been well-received in the community as an outlet for local news and are continuing to grow. That's why we need help.

Mike Koolbeck and I founded the Metro Sports Report four years ago, with lots of assistance from talented people. We were 50-50 partners and split many of the duties. I served as president and editor, he served as vice president and managing editor.

Mike stepped away from the company in March after more than three years of terrific service. We're not looking for someone to assume his duties, but we are looking for someone new to play an important role with the MSR.

The ideal candidates will have a deep background in business and advertising sales, with established contacts in our area. Other than that, we're wide open to a variety of candidates - male or female, young or old.

It would help if you have a passion for what we're doing and believe in our product. It also would help if you're interested in the local teams and think they deserve attention.

We believe we have a good product to sell to potential advertisers, but we need somebody on the job on a full-time basis. We have several talented people working in our advertising department on a part-time basis, but they are busy folks with other jobs and interests.

We need somebody with creative new ideas who can help us thrive and prosper. It's no secret we've been operating on an extremely tight budget since Day 1, but we're headed in the right direction and optimistic about the future.

Our new general manager will work from home and make their own hours. If you have a kid on a college team somewhere, we'll encourage you to go watch him or her play whenever you can, even if it's in the middle of a typical work day. Kids grow up fast. Believe me, I know. You don't want to miss an opportunity.

If your son or daughter is on a high school team, go watch them play in the middle or the day. You'd be foolish not to.

Now, in terms of money. Your compensation package from us will be "creative," and by that I mean we do not have gobs of money to throw at you in terms of a base salary.

We'll have to get creative with commissions, bonuses and stock options. We do not offer health insurance, so that's not a possibility.

Perhaps you are between jobs. Perhaps you feel stuck in a job with no chance for advancement. Perhaps you are looking for a new challenge and a chance to be your own boss, with lots of freedom.

We might be the right place for you.

It's funny. I've offered this job to a half-dozen very talented people over the years. Several of them have been intrigued by the possibilities, but have not been able to pull the trigger, mostly due to financial considerations.

Sure, it could be somewhat of a gamble. On the other hand, it could be great fun and turn out to be a good payday if the Metro Sports Report continues to head in the right direction.

We need your help.

My name is Jim Ecker, and you can call me or write anytime. My home phone is 319-390-4236 and the e-mail address is This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

I hope to hear from you soon.