Matthews Publishing Group

What Matthews Publishing Group does

Matthews Publishing Group (MPG) is a privately held, boutique publishing firm founded in 1998 and operated as Matthews Publishing Group, LLC out of Minneapolis, Minnesota, with public-facing contact channels based in Arkansas. The company produces print and digital magazines, membership directories, and buyers' guides for U.S. state trucking associations and a small number of adjacent trade associations, including the National Star Route Mail Contractors Association and the Western Propane Gas Association. Its portfolio spans 21+ publications, including Arizona Trucking, Behind the Wheel (Maryland), Caltrux (California), Florida Truck News, Open Road (Louisiana), Milepost (New York), Rhode Warrior, Tarheel Wheels (North Carolina), Tennessee Trucking News, The Transportation Professional (Connecticut), Virginia Trucking, Nebraska Trucker, Strait Ahead (Michigan), Star Carrier (NSRMCA), and WPGA News. MPG's service offering covers the full publishing workflow: editorial writing, layout and design, printing, marketing services, and digital distribution via the AnyFlip flipbook platform, with issues direct-mailed to between roughly 5,000 and 10,000+ association members per edition.

The company's go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven: MPG contracts directly with state and national trucking associations on a recurring basis (quarterly, bimonthly, or annual cadences) and serves as the outsourced publishing arm for associations that lack in-house editorial capacity. Marketing is conducted primarily through the company website, an active blog, and organic social channels (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram), with direct email contact via the founder-publisher, Jennifer Matthews-Drake. The operating model is small (1-10 employees) and owner-operated, with no disclosed funding, no institutional investors, and no parent company. MPG has grown primarily by adding new association clients and selectively expanding into adjacent verticals, with notable additions including WPGA News in 2026 and Star Carrier in 2025.

Name

Matthews Publishing Group

Legal name

Matthews Publishing Group, LLC

Website

https://matthewspublishing.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Matthews Publishing Group is a privately held, Minneapolis-based boutique publisher that produces print and digital magazines, membership directories, and buyers' guides for U.S. state trucking associations and select adjacent trade associations. Founded in 1998 and led by Jennifer Matthews-Drake, it serves 15+ association clients across more than 21 publications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Association Magazine Publishing

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (51312), Periodical Publishers (513120), Directory and Mailing List Publishers (513140)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts, Culture & Literary Magazines (MPAJAEAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Periodicals, Magazines & Newspapers Distribution (CRAOALAB)

Keywords

• Association magazine publishing
• Trucking industry publications
• Custom trade publications
• Membership directories printing
• Print and digital magazines

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Publishing Services for Trucking Associations: MPG generates revenue by providing specialized publishing services to trucking associations, producing both print and digital magazine editions. The company works with multiple state trucking associations on an ongoing basis, publishing regular editions of association magazines.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Matthews Publishing Group produces custom magazines and membership directories on behalf of U.S. state trucking associations, handling layout and design, editorial writing, printing, and marketing. The firm delivers both print editions direct-mailed to association members and digital editions hosted on AnyFlip, and currently maintains a portfolio of 21+ recurring association publications.

Product overview

Matthews Publishing Group (MPG) is a boutique publishing firm that publishes magazines for trucking associations across the United States. The company offers a portfolio of over 20 state and national trucking association publications including Arizona Trucking, Behind the Wheel, Caltrux, Florida Truck News, Open Road, Milepost, Rhode Warrior, Tarheel Wheels, Tennessee Trucking News, The Transportation Professional, Virginia Trucking, Nebraska Trucker, Strait Ahead, Star Carrier, and WPGA News. In addition to physical magazine publishing, MPG provides digital publishing options, layout and design, writing, printing, and marketing services. The publications include both quarterly magazines and annual membership directories with buyers guides.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Arizona Trucking Recurring association magazine serving trucking professionals in Arizona, produced for the Arizona Trucking Association.
• Behind the Wheel Recurring association magazine for the Maryland Motor Truck Association, serving trucking executives in Maryland.
• Caltrux Recurring association magazine for the California Trucking Association, serving trucking professionals in California.
• Florida Truck News Recurring association magazine for the Florida Trucking Association, direct-mailed to more than 10,000 readers across Florida, surrounding states, and the DC-metro area.
• Open Road Recurring association magazine for the Louisiana Motor Transport Association, serving trucking professionals in Louisiana.
• Milepost Recurring association magazine for the Trucking Association of New York, dedicated to transportation professionals in New York.
• Rhode Warrior Recurring association magazine for the Rhode Island Trucking Association, distributed to more than 5,000 transportation leaders in Rhode Island and parts of New England.
• Tarheel Wheels Recurring association magazine for the North Carolina Trucking Association, mailed to more than 8,000 readers.
• Tennessee Trucking News Recurring association magazine for the Tennessee Trucking Association, mailed to more than 8,000 readers.
• The Transportation Professional Recurring association magazine for the Motor Transport Association of Connecticut, sent to more than 8,000 transportation executives.
• Virginia Trucking Recurring association magazine for the Virginia Trucking Association, serving trucking professionals in Virginia.
• Nebraska Trucker Recurring association magazine for the Nebraska Trucking Association, reaching more than 7,000 readers of the printed edition.
• Strait Ahead Recurring statewide association magazine for the Michigan Trucking Association, dedicated to transportation professionals in Michigan.
• Star Carrier National association magazine for The National Star Route Mail Contractors Association, covering postal contracting news.
• WPGA News Recurring association magazine for the Western Propane Gas Association, arriving to more than 5,000 recipients.
• Membership Directories and Buyers' Guides Annual membership directories and buyers' guides produced for trucking associations including CTA, FTA, MMTA, TANY, and others.
• Layout and Design Services Professional layout and design services for association magazines and publications, delivered as part of MPG's full-service publishing engagements.
• Writing and Editorial Services Editorial and content writing services for association publications and magazines, delivered as part of MPG's full-service publishing engagements.
• Printing Services Physical magazine printing services bundled with MPG's full-service publishing engagements for trucking associations.
• Digital Publishing Services Online digital publishing services delivered via the AnyFlip platform, providing digital flipbook editions of MPG-published magazines.

Named customers15 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature1 record

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• EnsembleIQ: B2B media company producing trade publications, custom content, and data-driven marketing services for retailers and brand manufacturers across verticals. Provides similar custom publishing capabilities as MPG but at significantly larger scale and across broader verticals.
• Questex: Large B2B media and events company producing trade publications, digital content, and live events across multiple verticals. Operates overlapping publishing services and competes for similar B2B advertiser budgets in industries adjacent to MPG's trucking/transportation base.
• Randall-Reilly: Large B2B media company focused on trucking, construction, and other vertical industries. Publishes trucking trade publications (e.g., Overdrive) and has an association media arm — a broader incumbent competing in the same trucking-vertical information space as MPG.
• Bobit Business Media: B2B media company publishing trucking trade titles such as Heavy Duty Trucking, Fleet Owner, and Work Truck. A larger, broader incumbent operating in MPG's trucking industry vertical with overlapping advertiser audiences.

Direct peers

• Publishing Concepts, Inc. (PCI): PCI produces custom magazines, directories, and digital publications for trade and professional associations. Directly comparable to MPG in business model — full-service custom publishing on behalf of associations, including design, editorial, and print production.
• Tallan Media: Boutique custom publisher producing magazines and member communications for associations. Closely matches MPG in size, model, and customer base (trade/professional associations needing turnkey publishing services).
• MultiView: B2B media company producing association publications, custom content, and digital advertising solutions for trade and professional associations — directly comparable association-publishing services business.
• Trade Press Media Group: Specialized publisher of business-to-business and association magazines across multiple verticals. Closely parallels MPG in producing custom magazines and directories on behalf of trade associations and industry groups.
• Naylor Association Solutions: One of the largest U.S. providers of custom publishing, communications, and event services for trade associations. Operates the same association-publishing business model as MPG at significantly greater scale, including magazines, directories, and digital editions.

Emerging players

• Transport Topics: Flagship weekly trucking news publication of the American Trucking Associations. Competes for trucking-industry reader attention and advertiser dollars, although its model (ATA-owned national publication) differs from MPG's association-custom publishing model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/MatthewsPublishing
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/matthews-publishing-group
• Instagraminstagram.com/mpg_jennifer

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Matthews Publishing Group