Adams business sells assets to Bev-Al Communications

Business Publisher, Nov 1, 2005

Bev-Al Communications (San Francisco, CA), a company that publishes three trade magazines for the beverage industry, has acquired the geospatial, horticultural and fine jewelry business units that include six magazines, one newsletter, an annual conference, two web sites, a custom publishing division and two directories from Adams Business Media (Chicago, IL), a property of Great Hill Partners (Boston, MA). No terms of the deal were given. To reflect the change in the company's focus, Bev-Al has changed its name to m2media360.

Adams' geospatial unit includes "GeoWorld Magazine," a monthly title with a controlled circulation of 25,000 professionals at public works, utilities, natural resource management operations and all levels of government, "GeoReport," a weekly online newsletter, and GeoTec Event, an annual Canadian conference for geospatial technology professionals. The jewelry unit includes "JQ" magazine, a bimonthly for the jewelry industry with a controlled circulation of 20,000 jewelers, designers and fine jewelry manufacturers, the International Jewelry Quorum and the Limited Edition publications, a series of custom consumer titles created for individual firms.

The horticultural unit, formerly Green Media, includes four monthly publications. "Arbor Age" carries information on arborist tools and techniques for a controlled circulation of 18,500 private and public arborists, while "Landscape & Irrigation" is targeted on a controlled basis to 50,000 landscape, irrigation contractors and related professionals. "Outdoor Power Equipment," including technical information, new product updates and industry developments, has a controlled circulation of 21,000 power tool equipment retailers, distributors and wholesalers. "SportsTurf" focuses on coverage of the sports turf management industry for a controlled circulation of 25,000 industry professionals.

Two other former titles in Adams' horticultural group, "California Fairways" and "Golfscape Resources," have been merged by that company and converted to an online presence, GreenMedia.com. Also, Adams will continue to produce "Fuel Oil News," "National Petroleum News," "Candy Business," "Professional Candy Buyer," "Tobacco Retailer" and Specialty-Coffee.com. The three Bev-Al titles include two former Jobson Publishing titles, "Beverage Dynamics," produced nine times a year for owners/managers of liquor stores, supermarkets and drug stores in open states, and "Stateways," a bimonthly for commissioners, board members and company executives in control states, as well as "Wine & Spirit Industry Marketing," a bimonthly title, seven print handbooks and directories, two web directories and research reports.

In a statement, M2media360's president/ceo Marion Minor said the purchases "not only double the size of our presence in the business to business arena, they give us the traction we need to provide synergy to the basic operations of both the old and the new businesses and open the doors for us to much greater future growth."