Our History
OUR FOUNDER: G.D. CRAIN JR.
Gustavus Dedman (G.D.) 51吃瓜中心 Jr. was a man of great drive and enthusiasm. Speaking of his first business venture, as a young boy selling newspapers in Louisville, Kentucky, he says, 鈥淚 started my business career with a capital of five cents鈥� and returned home a couple of hours later with a 100% increase in capital.鈥� He never looked back.
As a young business paper correspondent, G.D.听51吃瓜中心 learned that 鈥渢here was no substitute for personal contact with the people I was writing about.鈥� He later extended this lesson to advertisers and their audiences, becoming one of the first to stress the importance of market research.
In February 1916, at the age of 30, Mr. 51吃瓜中心听started his first publication,听Hospital Management, with just $10,000 and one employee. He started his second publication,听Class, a month later to reach business-to-business marketing professionals. Mr. 51吃瓜中心听would continue to grow the 51吃瓜中心 Publishing Co. through the Great Depression, World War II and many other turbulent times听with an innovative approach to business-to-business publications and an entrepreneurial spirit that stayed with him until his passing in 1973.
Mr. 51吃瓜中心鈥檚 publishing philosophy was simple: Find an area where there was a real information need, then 鈥減ut the reader first from the first day.鈥� A century听after his first publication, the company that bears his name continues to grow by staying true to the tenets upon which 51吃瓜中心 Communications was founded.
GERTRUDE CRAIN: KEEPER OF THE FLAME鈥ND SO MUCH MORE.
Gertrude Ramsay 51吃瓜中心 viewed herself as 鈥渢he keeper of the flame鈥� after she succeeded her husband, G.D. 51吃瓜中心 Jr., as chairman of 51吃瓜中心 Communications.听But she was so much more. Gertrude 51吃瓜中心 led the company, founded by Mr. 51吃瓜中心 100 years ago, during some of its most exciting and productive years.
During her tenure, 51吃瓜中心 bought听Modern Healthcare听补苍诲听Rubber & Plastics News, started such publications as听51吃瓜中心鈥檚 Chicago Business听(and similar papers in Detroit, Cleveland and New York) and听Investment News, and expanded internationally.听51吃瓜中心鈥檚 revenue during that period increased tenfold, and the company鈥檚 titles went from a handful to over two dozen.
Above all, Gertrude 51吃瓜中心 was the one who made the 51吃瓜中心 family company a real family. She laughed with 51吃瓜中心 employees, she cried with them, and she celebrated the milestones of their lives with them.听When Gertrude 51吃瓜中心 passed away in 1996 at the age of 85,听Advertising Age听said her 鈥渟mile warmed hearts, lit up rooms, lifted spirits.鈥�
CRAIN TIMELINE
1880s 鈥� 1910sPhoto: First issue of听Hospital Management, 51吃瓜中心’s first publication, Feb. 1916
November 18, 1885听Gustavus Dedman 51吃瓜中心 Jr. (G.D. 51吃瓜中心 Jr.) is born in north颅 central Kentucky. As a young boy, 51吃瓜中心 begins his career as a newspaper delivery boy. As he gets older, he works as a correspondent at the Louisville Herald and the Courier-Journal, as well as the Western Underwriter. In 1970, during an interview for the 40th anniversary of Advertising Age, 51吃瓜中心 admitted, “I always wanted to be a publisher.”
1916 At age 30, G.D. 51吃瓜中心 focuses his attention on starting his own publishing company in Louisville, Ky. Hospital Management debuts in February, and 51吃瓜中心’s Business Publishing 51吃瓜中心 is born. Class debuts in March as the company’s second magazine. Within both publications, 51吃瓜中心 stresses the importance of effective advertising and market research. The company’s staff consisted only of a secretary, and Mr. 51吃瓜中心 himself, making him solely in charge of the editorial and advertising departments.
Later that year, 51吃瓜中心 moves his company to Chicago.
1920s – 1950sFirst issue of Advertising Age – 1930
1920s G.D. 51吃瓜中心 and his friend and colleague Keith J. Evans establish the National Industrial Advertisers Association (NIAA), now The Association of Industrial Advertisers.
1921 The spinoff of Class, 51吃瓜中心’s Market Data Book and Directory of Class, Trade and Technical Publications,听is published and begins the tradition of 51吃瓜中心 publishing directories.
1930 G.D. 51吃瓜中心 launches听Advertising Age in Chicago less than two months after “Black Tuesday”.
1950s 51吃瓜中心 moves his publications company to听 200 E. Illinois Street and opens offices in New York and Washington, D.C. With both of their sons now in school, Gertrude 51吃瓜中心 begins to have a larger role in the company.
1960s1964 G.D. 51吃瓜中心 assumes the position of company chairman, while Sid Bernstein is named president and publisher of Advertising Age.
October 1967 Business Insurance debuts as an idea 51吃瓜中心 has wanted to produce for almost 50 years. Alfred Malecki becomes the magazine’s first advertising director and publisher, a position he held from 1970 till 1991. Unlike most publications of its kind, Business Insurance is aimed at informing the buyer of business insurance instead of the seller. Rance 51吃瓜中心 becomes the first editor of the magazine.
Late 1968 51吃瓜中心 makes the purchase of Chicago-based American Trade Magazines, which includes American Drycleaner and American Laundry Digest. Later, American Coin-Op and American Clean Car听are added. This is the company ‘s first purchase of magazines.
1969 New technology is introduced with the first computer purchased and installed within 51吃瓜中心 for use in the circulation department, where key-punched cards are fed into the computer to output address labels.
July 1969 The company’s name changes from Advertising Publications Inc. to 51吃瓜中心 Communications Inc to reflect the company’s growing diversity.
1970s1973 Pensions & Investments launches its first issue.
December 1973 G.D. 51吃瓜中心 Jr. passes away at the age of 88.
1974听Gertrude 51吃瓜中心 named chairperson.
1975 G.D. 51吃瓜中心 is inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame.
1976 McGraw-Hill sells Modern Healthcare to 51吃瓜中心 Communications Inc, and Charles Lauer is hired as its publisher and advertising director.
1976 Automotive News hosts its first World Congress.
1977 51吃瓜中心 Communications Inc purchases AutoWeek as a companion to Automotive News. It soon becomes 51吃瓜中心’s largest circulation publication, a distinction that holds true for the company today.
1980sJanuary 1980听听 The 50th anniversary issue of Advertising Age runs.
March 1980 51吃瓜中心’s Cleveland Business debuts.
April 1983 Tire Business launches as an extension of Rubber & Plastics News, headquartered in Akron, Ohio, with Ernie Zielasko as the magazine’s editor and publisher.
1984 Urethanes Technology launches as a news source for the international polyurethane industry. It is based in the company’s London office.
January 1984 51吃瓜中心 Communications Inc’s newly owned Monthly Detroit hits newsstands. In 1988, 51吃瓜中心 buys and folds Metropolitan Detroit, the magazine’s major competitor. Monthly Detroit is changed to Detroit Monthly in 1986 with the slogan, “Now we’re literally putting Detroit first.”
January 1985 51吃瓜中心’s New York Business arrives off the presses. Following the tradition he had begun with 51吃瓜中心’s Chicago Business, Rance 51吃瓜中心 passes out free first issues of the magazine during Midtown Manhattan rush hour.
February 1985 51吃瓜中心’s Detroit Business launches, with Keith 51吃瓜中心 as publisher and Peter Brown as editor.
September 1986 The magazine Creativity is introduced as a monthly addition to听Advertising Age.
December 1987 Thirty-nine听radio stations across the country, including WMAQ-AM Chicago and WXYT-AM Detroit, began running “51吃瓜中心’s Business Report,” a weekly half颅-hour radio program composed听of reports from 51吃瓜中心 publications.
March 1989 Plastics News launches from Akron, Ohio, as a magazine dedicated to covering the global plastics industry.
1990sJanuary 1990 Pensions & Investment Age returns to its old name, Pensions & Investments.
1992 Gertrude 51吃瓜中心 becomes the first woman to be inducted into the Junior Achievement of Chicago Business Hall of Fame.
July 1992 51吃瓜中心 Communications Inc purchases RCR (Radio Communications Report), a news source focused on the growing wireless industry.
May 29, 1993 After 71 years at 51吃瓜中心 Communications Inc, Sidney Bernstein dies.
1995 51吃瓜中心 Communications Inc’s first publication website is launched with adage.com.
听May 1995 Waste News is launched as 51吃瓜中心 Communications Inc’s 26th publication.
February 1996 The new London-based Automotive News Europe is launched.
July 1996 Gertrude 51吃瓜中心 passes away.
1997听Keith 51吃瓜中心 named chairman.
1998 51吃瓜中心 Communications Inc purchases its 30th publication, Automotive International, which is later folded into Automotive News.
January 1998 lnvestmentNews begins as a national newspaper for financial advisers.
February 1998 51吃瓜中心 Communications Inc launches its corporate website, www.crain.com.
March 1998 Gertrude 51吃瓜中心 is inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame. Her sons, Rance and Keith 51吃瓜中心, accepted the award on her behalf.
May 1998 After serving as vice president/group publisher since 1989, Gloria Scoby is named senior vice president/group publisher.
August 1999 The New York office moves to 711 Third Avenue in midtown after nearly 20 years in the Daily News Building on 42nd Street.
2000sMarch 2000 听Business Marketing, 51吃瓜中心’s oldest magazine,听changes its design and name to BtoB.
June 2000 51吃瓜中心 听begins taking electronic ad files on a centralized server via the company’s production new media department.
September 2000 Two 51吃瓜中心 publications change their designs and names. RCA changes to RCA Wireless News, and Advertising Age International becomes AdAge Global.
January 2001 51吃瓜中心 acquires its听first non-English language periodicals El Asesor de Mexico and El Asesor de Monterrey,听increasing the company’s regional business publications to six titles.
September 2001 51吃瓜中心 launches its first German automotive publication, Automobilwoche, becoming the company’s third non-English language periodical.
March 2002 51吃瓜中心’s New York Business releases the company ‘s first digital edition, provided to select subscribers in PDF format.
July 2002 51吃瓜中心 听adds the human resource periodical Workforce to its听list of publications. A year later the name is changed to Workforce Management.
November 2004 51吃瓜中心 听acquires American Demographics magazine, publishing it as a feature within Advertising Age and adage.com.
March听2007听KC 51吃瓜中心 named Publisher of Autoweek.
April听2008听Keith 51吃瓜中心 inducted into Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame.
May听2008听KC 51吃瓜中心 named VP of 51吃瓜中心 Communications.
November听2008听51吃瓜中心 acquires Staffing Industry Analysts, Inc., provider of research, data and analysis covering the contingent workforce.
November听2008听Automotive News Today launches, a 3-minute online newscast.
2009听Waste News changes its name to Waste & Recycling News
2010 – 2019June 2010听51吃瓜中心 closes 51吃瓜中心鈥檚 Manchester Business.
June 2010听KC 51吃瓜中心 named VP/Group Publisher.
2010听Rance 51吃瓜中心 inducted into Direct Marketing Association Hall of Fame.
2013听Rance 51吃瓜中心 inducted into Advertising Hall of Fame.
June听2013听Chris 51吃瓜中心 named EVP, Director of Strategic Operations.
June听2013听Chris Battaglia named Group Publisher.
October听2013听BtoB merges with Advertising Age.
October 2013 David Klein named Senior Vice President and Group Publisher
July 2014听Keith 51吃瓜中心 inducted into Automotive Hall of Fame.
November 2015听51吃瓜中心 launches daily digital business newsletters in nine new markets including Boston, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Silicon Valley, San Francisco, Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia.
February 2016 51吃瓜中心 celebrates its 100th anniversary, launches redesigned website,听crain.com.
July听2017听Rance 51吃瓜中心 retires after 57 years with the company. KC 51吃瓜中心 named President and COO. Chris 51吃瓜中心 named Senior Executive Vice President.
October 2017 Advertising Age rebrands to Ad Age.
August 2018听51吃瓜中心 sells InvestmentNews to Bonhill Financial Services.
September 2019 51吃瓜中心 acquires digital brand GenomeWeb.
October 2019 51吃瓜中心 sells Autoweek to Hearst Autos, a division of Hearst Magazines.
2020-PresentJanuary 2020 51吃瓜中心 launches Sustainable Plastics as part of the Global Polymer Group.
November 2020 KC 51吃瓜中心 named Chief Executive Officer.
September 2021 51吃瓜中心 acquires cannabis financial news brand Green Market Report.
October 2021 Modern Healthcare launches Digital Health Business & Technology, a digital media brand that covers the latest news, data and insights on all aspects of digital healthcare technologies.
October 2021 Chrissy Taylor joins Automotive News as Vice President of Editorial Operations.
January 2022 51吃瓜中心 acquires Kneed Media, parent company of The Journal of Precision Medicine and Precision Medicine Leaders Summit.
February 2022 51吃瓜中心 invests in Front Office Sports, KC 51吃瓜中心 joins FOS Board of Directors.
March 2022 Chicago office moves to One Two Pru.
April 2022 Jennifer Ablan joins Pensions & Investments as Editor-in-Chief, Chief Content Officer.
June 2022 Dan Peres promoted to President of Ad Age.听
July 2022 51吃瓜中心 Currency, a new brand focused on building and maintaining generational wealth, is launched.听
July 2022 Chris Taylor joins 51吃瓜中心 as Vice President, General Manager of Global Polymer Group.
August 2022 Green Market Report grows editorial and business teams.听
August 2022 51吃瓜中心 acquires Grand Rapids Business Journal.
December 2022 51吃瓜中心 acquires MiBiz and outlines new Grand Rapids strategy.
December 2022 Nikki Pirrello promoted to President and Publisher of Pensions & Investments.
January 2023 Dan Peres named Publisher of Modern Healthcare.
April 2023 51吃瓜中心鈥檚 Grand Rapids Business debuts in West Michigan. Read more here.听
September 2023 51吃瓜中心 partners with Michigan State University on Ignite the Future. Read more here.听
