Peter Gudmundsson will step down as CEO and president of Beckett Media, effective Oct. 1. Gudmundsson joined Beckett in 2005 after company founder Jim Beckett sold to New York-based Apprise Media. Gudmundsson said he had been asked by APG Media, parent company of Apprise, to move to APG’s California headquarters but declined the opportunity. He said he plans on starting a new company “unrelated to sports collecting and entertainment publishing” after his departure from Beckett.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my almost four years at Beckett,” Gudmundsson said. “I am proud of the degree to which we were able to transition from one-man ownership to a more team-oriented operating structure. The company is in much better shape today than it was in 2005.”

Published reports earlier this year indicated that Apprise Media is looking to sell Beckett.