Provide your readers with accurate, timely information when they need it. It's
a simple philosophy, and one that has made Sandhills Publishing a leader in its
field.
In 1978, Tom and Rhonda Peed founded Sandhills Publishing (then known as Peed
Corp.) in an old blacksmith shop in Webster City, Iowa. The company had only
seven employees at the time, two of whom were Tom Peed's parents.
The first Sandhills publication, Machinery Trader, rolled off the
presses in March of that year. The company sent the inaugural edition of this
trade publication, which targets buyers and sellers of heavy construction
equipment, to 20,000 readers. Lacking sophisticated mailing equipment, the
staff labeled each of the copies by hand and dropped them off at the local post
office in a pickup truck. Though the company's beginnings were hardly
glamorous, Machinery Trader found a niche in the construction industry,
and circulation increased. As the publication grew, so did Sandhills. By 1985,
the company had introduced three more trade publications: Processor, Controller,
and Truck Paper.
 The
Move West
The Peeds soon discovered their company had outgrown the small Iowa community.
They began researching several Midwestern cities that offered both large
employee recruiting bases and a suitable environment for a company with
small-town roots. In 1985, they established their new home in Lincoln, Neb.
Today, Sandhills Publishing sprawls over a 68-acre campus in northwest Lincoln,
Neb. In June 2000 an additional office opened in Scottsdale, Ariz., that
houses a redundant data center. If there is ever a system failure at either
branch, the company's Web traffic will reroute to the other system. In such an
instance, site visitors would never notice a break in service. Since moving to
Lincoln, Sandhills has added four consumer-interest magazines for computer
users: PC Today; Smart Computing, formerly known as PC Novice; Computer
Power User; and First Glimpse, formerly known as CE
Lifestyles. New trade publications include Executive
Controller, Machinery Trader Auction Results, Charter Hub, and TractorHouse.
What's In A Name?
In 1997 the Peeds decided to rename the corporation Sandhills Publishing. The
new name describes the company's focus, but that's not the only reason for the
change. In the name Sandhills, the company strengthens a link to its corporate
symbol—the Sandhill crane.
Sandhill cranes make an annual migratory trek from Texas to Canada, stopping en
masse at Nebraska's Platte River valley for food and rest. In a similar way,
Nebraska has proven to be a bountiful resource for Sandhills Publishing, and
the company strives to meet its readers' needs, whether they are large
businesses or individual consumers.
In the cranes' behavior, Sandhills Publishing finds another characteristic it
strives to model. Just as the success of the whole flock depends on the efforts
of the individual birds, Sandhills Publishing depends on the efforts and
initiatives of its individual employees, now more than 450.
From Webster City To The Web
Back in 1978, the Peeds may have envisioned one day publishing a number of
trade and consumer magazines, but they could not have imagined how the Internet
would expand the company's reach.
The
Sandhills Publishing home page
offers links to each of the Sandhills publications. These Web sites serve a
vital role in enhancing the print publications and giving readers continuously
updated information. |