Hi! I’m Nick Swedberg and I’ll be your guide to making your life ridiculously easy in Oak Forest. Starting today, I’m taking over as the Local Editor for Oak Forest Patch.

Judging by the huge, positive response local people have had to Patch, I’m sure that the Local Editor you’ve come to know and love, Lauren Traut, will be missed. She is moving on up in the Patch world and I’m here to carry on where she left off. 

By now, you might be asking yourself “Just who is this Nick Swedberg character and what’s he all about?”

Well, I’ll tell you a little about myself:

Before Patch, I served my time as a hard-working newspaper reporter in northern Illinois. Most recently, I worked with a marketing team whose client was a Fortune 500 company and also wrote articles as a freelancer with the Sun-Times Media Group.

In September 2010, I headed the launch of St. Charles Patch in Kane County and spent nearly two years turning that fledgling site into a respected community resource.

Now, as I head into the great Southland and jump into the middle of the spirit built up in Oak Forest Patch, I hope to usher readers into engaging conversation and the useful resources you find here.

Oh, and before you ask, I’m a Cubs fan. Yikes! I know I’m walking into Sox territory but I’m sure you won’t hold that against me. Right?

Reach out and say “hi” whenever you want. You can email me at nicks@patch.com or call 630-666-8863 to chat.

And if you want to know even more about me, check out my Patch bio here.