Melissa Harris is the Chicago Tribune's newest business columnist

Melissa is reachable—but before you contact her, check the specifics about what she needs for her Tribune biz section column that debuted in September.

“Call me on the phone or send me email—I do read all of my email,” she says. “My cell phone number is on my voicemail…. I’m available.” She’s also invite-able: “I go to events morning, noon, and night—although I’m not very good at breakfasts”—when she’s at the gym (needless to the say, we think the gym is a no-pitch zone, we didn’t ask where she works out).

She welcomes nonprofit and philanthropy pitches but, be aware that her audience is business decision-makers. “The way this is going to survive is big, bold prominent names,” she says. Think board members, honorees, grant awards.  Metropolitan Planning Council and other local organizations have already received some coverage in Chicago Confidential, BTW.

The column goes deeper than boldface names, because Melissa is really looking to offer items about Chicago business people and how deals get done. Double bonus if you have a humorous anecdote or item. One more thing to keep in mind: Melissa comes from covering crime (in Baltimore) and before that politics (in Orlando, Fla.) – no fluff here.

Her column runs Sundays and Wednesdays. More details at the Tribune Web site. (Her contact info  is in the 2010 guide or find it in the 2010 Getting On Air, Online & Into Print resource forum–registration required).