Man, the Strib is full of staffing surprises lately, but this one seems unambiguously good: former Business section editor Eric Wieffering is returning to the paper as a columnist.

The business section has its heavy hitters, but it’s no secret new board chair Mike Sweeney has been pushing for more punch. Wieffering was a widely respected upper-level manager who got burnt out on the Strib’s bankruptcy descent when he left last year. He took a tour of the dark side in marketing and communications, but he and I go back far enough to his reporting days that I remember he can bloody some noses. Here’s hoping, and here’s the memo:

We are delighted to announce our new Business columnist with these four words:

Welcome back, Eric Wieffering!

Eric, as most of you know, is an excellent business journalist — a gifted writer and editor who has spent the past 25 years cultivating a deep understanding of the business community in the Twin Cities and Minnesota.

He is uniquely qualified to take on this important new role as part of our drive to make our already formidable business coverage better than ever.

Before he left a year ago to work as a senior account executive at Haberman and Associates, a marketing and communications firm in Minneapolis, Eric had long been a newsroom leader as much through his skill and spirit as the titles he held.

Over 11 distinguished years at the Star Tribune, Eric was an enterprise reporter, team leader, deputy editor, then the Assistant Managing Editor for Business. In his last year here, he led both our Business and Metro staffs. During his tenure leading Business, the section was named one of the best in the country by the Society of American Business Editors and Writers in 2008.

Eric also covered Northwest Airlines for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, and he has edited an award-winning monthly business magazine. He has a degree in English literature from Carleton College, and he and his family live in St. Paul.

Eric will return in early October. His column will begin soon afterward on the Sunday Business cover and other days, and his perspective on business will resound across all of our digital platforms.

Please join us in heartily welcoming him back.