How It All Began
As the country struggled to pull itself out of the Great Depression, Henry Pettus Randall Jr. was excelling in his undergraduate studies at the University of Alabama, attracting the attention of numerous honor societies. However, initiation fees and membership dues prevented him from joining the organizations that courted him. He vowed to never again let financial restrictions stand in the way of students being honored for academic achievement.

Who's Who Among Students in American Universities & Colleges is the product of his resolve. Along with Who's Who Among Students in American Junior Colleges, which was added in 1969, the Who's Who books have become one of the most prestigious award programs in academia and are now in place at more than 2,000 universities, colleges and junior colleges in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The Who's Who books became the foundation of the Randall Book Division.

Completing the Picture
Following the visionary tradition of Henry Pettus Randall Jr., Pettus Randall III took the Who's Who program to the next level by founding the Award Company of America. The Award Company of America distributes the centerpieces of any awards program: plaques, trophies, ribbons, specialized cards, and other promotional and ad specialty items. The division prospered, with gross revenue exceeding more than $4 million by 1984. After the death of his father in 1976, Pettus assumed control of the company and merged Randall Publishing Co and the Award Company of America.

Through Who's Who and the Award Company of America, Randall Publishing Co. perfected its phone-sales expertise and our Target Marketing division emerged. With close to 40 years of sales experience, Target Marketing conducts market research, product fulfillment and phone-sales initiatives for a variety of clients nationwide.

1984 was a milestone in Randall Publishing Co.'s history, as F. Michael Reilly was named president and chief operating officer, and Pettus Randall became chairman of the board and chief executive officer. Their combined abilities and energy are the foundation of the company's continuing success.

"We consider ourselves partners: partners with readers to help them be better business people, and partners with our advertisers to help them find and keep customers and to continue to grow their sales."
-- Mike Reilly, President and CEO

At the Heart of It All
Shortly thereafter, the company entered the magazine publishing world. Randall strategically chose magazines covering industries at the heart of our economy: trucking, construction and industrial.

In 1986, Randall acquired Overdrive magazine, the oldest and most respected magazine for independent truckers. Based on its success with Overdrive, Randall expanded its presence within the trucking industry, adding Truckers News, the industry-leading news and lifestyle publication; CCJ, which offers business solutions for fleet owners and managers and eTrucker.com, the most comprehensive source for trucking information and services on the Internet. Today, Randall's Trucking Media Group also produces nationally broadcast radio programs, numerous seminars and other special events, as well as a major trade show: the Great American Trucking Show.

In 1987, Randall decided to take on the construction industry. The company created and introduced TOP BID, now known as the "bible" of off-highway and equipment auctions. That was followed by the launch of Equipment World magazine, the leading construction-equipment publication in both circulation and influence. Published monthly, Equipment World serves the business and fleet management needs of more than 87,000 contractors throughout North America. The Construction Media Group also conducts targeted research on equipment trends, forecasts and reader opinions and produces equipmentworld.com, a website featuring news, service, equipment information and business tools for contractors, dealers and manufacturers worldwide.

In 1999, Randall turned its publishing skills to another highly active part of the nation's economy: the industrial world. The Industrial Media Group was born through the acquisition of Modern Woodworking, a leading magazine for woodworking technicians. The same year, Randall bought Pumps & Systems magazine; its trade show, PumpUsers Expo; and its website, pump-zone.com, all concentrating on users and manufacturers of industrial pumps.

In 1993 Mack Ogren joined Randall Publishing Co. as Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer.

Remaining true to its commitment to provide its customers world-class service and world-class products, Randall developed Northbrook Publishing in 1996. Located in New Berlin, Wis., Northbrook specializes in the creation and production of corporate magazines. It serves several Fortune 500 companies, many of which advertise in Randall's publications. Caterpillar, Sherwin-Williams , Peterbilt and Kenworth are just a few of the companies that take advantage of Northbrook's publishing expertise.

Equipment Data Associates, acquired in 1998, is the premier national supplier of UCC-based marketing services. EDA provides semimonthly leads, mailing lists, market-share statistics and equipment-population estimates to the construction equipment, machine tool, farm equipment, lift truck, on-highway truck/trailer, printing and woodworking industries. EDA works closely with Randall's research group, providing circulation feed and supplying customers with the latest buying trends in their target audience and/or for their specific product.

In February of 2002, F. Michael Reilly was named president and CEO. Mack Ogren became chief operating officer. Pettus Randall retained the role of chairman until his death in September of 2002. Upon her husbands death, Catherine J. Randall assumed the role of chairman.

A True Family of Companies
Former Chairman Pettus Randall was fond of saying: "At five o'clock each day, 99 percent of our assets walk out the door." That statement exemplifies the value Randall places on each of its associates, many of whom have been with the company for more than 20 years.

Dedicated associates and a family atmosphere are at the heart of Randall's success. Today, Randall publishes more than 30 magazines, directories and periodicals, and maintains more than 35 websites. In 2000, Folio:, the leading magazine for the publishing industry, ranked Randall Publishing as the sixth fastest growing and the 22nd largest publishing company in the nation.

Staying true to its mission, goals and beliefs, Randall Publishing Co. continues to grow in both profits and product offerings. The same entrepreneurial spirit that led one man to found Randall Publishing Co. continues to drive the company today

"We operate as a team - we want to get people working together and thinking together, because it takes everybody to make it work."
- - Pettus Randall, Chairman