Grand View Media Establishes Business-to-Business Platform, Expands Consumer Platform with Recent Acquisitions

Grand View Media Group, EBSCO Industries' publishing company specializing in custom publishing for consumer and trade markets, recently acquired Putman Media's Processing magazine and Ehlert Publishing's Sportsman's Group, which includes Bowhunting World magazine, Archery Business and the Black's Directories. Grand View Media currently publishes 14 titles, including custom publishing ventures for International Paper; Cabela's: The World's Foremost Outfitter; and the Professional Bullriders Association.

The acquisition of Processing magazine marks a new growth strategy for Grand View: to diversify and create a business-to-business publishing platform to complement its existing consumer platform.

Putman Media, a Chicago-based publisher specializing in niche business-to-business titles in the processing fields, launched Processing magazine in 1987. A leading monthly product tabloid servicing predominantly the food-, chemical- and pharmaceutical-processing industries, the magazine contains features on new equipment, materials and products, in addition to concentrating on new technologies and emerging trends. The monthly publication presents editorial content for processing professionals, with an emphasis on topics relating to chemicals, food, engineering, petroleum, rubber, plastics, paper and pharmaceuticals.

"Processing magazine is the industry-leading publication in its category. John Cappelletti, the Cappelletti family and Putman Media were extremely professional to work with during the negotiation process," Lovette said. "Moving forward, our company will be actively seeking additional, complementary add-on business magazine buying opportunities." Except for the change in ownership, Lovette anticipates no fundamental changes in the magazine. Publisher Mike Wasson and Senior Advertising Executive Jay Haas will remain in their positions. Grand View Media plans to have the key staff, including Editor Dennis Van Milligen and Account Representative Ticia Boyer, remain in their Chicago-based offices.

Minneapolis, Minn.-based Ehlert Publishing Group's (EPG) magazines are predominantly targeted at powersports and boating enthusiasts who own motorcycles, personal watercraft, snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles and recreational boats. According to Ehlert President Stephen Hedlund, Ehlert's growth strategy revolves around a motorized recreation market focus, so the company decided to divest of its Sportsman's Group of publications.

Ehlert Publishing acquired its flagship hunting title Bowhunting World magazine in 1981. Bowhunting World is a bimonthly, four-color magazine, founded in 1952, with a BPA-audited circulation of 84,000 Archery Business is a leading archery trade magazine with a current BPA-audited circulation of 11,000. Black's Annual Buyer's Directories are complete guides to equipment, instruction and destinations for the shotgunner, bowhunter and fly. Produced annually, the Black's guides provide complete up-to-date guides for specific markets.