PennWell Acquires Fire Apparatus Magazine

TULSA, Okla., Aug. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- PennWell Corporation, a diversified global media and information company, announced today that it has acquired Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment magazine and the website FireMagazine.com.  Financial terms of the sale were not disclosed.

Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment, founded in 1996 in Tunbridge, Vermont by C. Peter and Kathryn Jorgensen under the company name Fire Apparatus, LLC, is widely recognized as the leading source of information about fire apparatus-related products. Published monthly for a North American readership of 35,000, Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment caters to fire chiefs, purchasing and finance committees, trustees, commissioners and other fire professionals who buy trucks, tools, turnout gear and firefighting equipment. They read Fire Apparatus and the monthly Fire Apparatus eNewsletter for news and insight to make well-informed buying decisions.

Noting that PennWell is the undisputed leader in providing information for the fire service as publisher of Fire Engineering magazine and owner of the FDIC (Fire Department Instructors Conference) trade show, PennWell President and Chief Executive Officer Robert F. Biolchini said, "PennWell is pleased to expand our fire portfolio with this outstanding publication and website, which provides us a vertical extension focused on equipment and apparatus.  Since 1996 Kathryn Jorgensen and her late husband Peter Jorgensen have built their company based on editorial excellence and a strong industry reputation.  Fire Apparatus offers a perfect fit with PennWell as we celebrate our own centennial anniversary this year."

Fire Apparatus, LLC President Kathryn Jorgensen will assist with the transition and expressed her confidence in PennWell as the best home for the future growth of the publication and website. "My goal in selling Fire Apparatus was to find a publisher who would continue and strengthen the magazine that my husband founded.  I am very pleased that PennWell, which has an excellent reputation in the fire service and in providing information to multiple global markets, will do that," she said.

PennWell will manage the business from its headquarters in Tulsa under Lyle Hoyt, senior vice president responsible for PennWell's Dental and Fire Groups. Current Fire Apparatus publisher and sales manager Bob Kelly and editor-in-chief Lyn Bixby will continue in those roles under PennWell.

In addition to Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment magazine and website, PennWell's fire-related businesses include Fire Engineering, which has published continuously since 1877 as the leading training magazine for the fire service, along with the more recently launched FireEngineering.com and Fire Engineering University.  Founded in 1928, PennWell's FDIC is the oldest and largest firefighter training show in the world and is held annually for 26,000 attendees and 817 exhibitors occupying 352,000 net square feet at the Indianapolis Convention Center.  PennWell is launching a new event, TAK-Response Conference and Exhibition, which will be held September 14–16, 2010 in San Jose, California to provide real-time, threat-based training for law enforcement, fire service, EMS/medical, emergency nursing, homeland security and other disaster professionals.  As part of its international expansion, PennWell will hold its first Fire Engineering India Conference & Exhibition in May 2011 in New Delhi, India.

PennWell's dedication to the fire service led to the creation of the Fire Engineering Courage and Valor Foundation following the tragic terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C. on September 11, 2001.  This independent, tax-free foundation will exist in perpetuity to annually bestow the Courage and Valor medal and a cash award to the firefighter (or his family, if deceased) who has most exemplified Courage and Valor in a fire rescue.  Since 2002 the Courage and Valor award has been presented annually at FDIC in Indianapolis.

About PennWell

Celebrating its centennial in 2010, PennWell Corporation is a privately held and highly diversified business-to-business media and information company that provides quality content and integrated marketing solutions for the following industries in addition to fire and emergency services:  Oil and gas, electric power generation and delivery, hydropower, renewable energy, water and wastewater treatment, waste management, electronics, semiconductor manufacturing, optoelectronics, fiberoptics, nanotechnology, aerospace and avionics, LEDS and lighting, and dental.

Founded in 1910, PennWell publishes over 130 print and online magazines and newsletters, conducts 60 conferences and exhibitions on six continents, and has an extensive offering of books, maps, websites, research and database services.  In addition to PennWell's headquarters in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the Company has major offices in Nashua, New Hampshire; Houston, Texas; London, England; Mountain View, California; Fairlawn, New Jersey; Moscow, Russia, and Hong Kong, China.

SOURCE PennWell Corporation