Sunflower Publishing
Sunflower Publishing is a privately held Kansas-based print and digital publisher producing city and regional magazines, visitors guides, and specialty publications serving communities across Kansas through subscriptions, advertising, and direct distribution.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersLawrence, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Sunflower Publishing does
Sunflower Publishing is a privately held print and digital publishing company founded in 1999 and headquartered in Lawrence, Kansas. The company produces a portfolio of city and regional magazines serving Kansas communities, including Lawrence Magazine, Topeka Magazine, Manhattan Magazine, Discover Eudora, Baldwin City Living, Gardner/Edgerton, Jefferson Magazine, and Lawrence Senior Magazine, alongside statewide titles KANSAS! magazine and KANSAS! Outdoors. It also publishes specialty products such as Best of Lawrence, Kansas Weddings, KU Basketball/KU Today, the Explore Lawrence Visitors Guide, and the Douglas County Newcomers Guide. The company is described as an 'award-winning' Kansas-based publisher.
The underlying technology is conventional print magazine production paired with a WordPress-based digital content platform used for article previews and online access via sunflowerpub.com. There is no proprietary technology stack or AI/ML capability disclosed. The company operates with 11-50 employees and maintains a sales-led go-to-market focused on Kansas geography, reaching readers and advertisers only within the state.
Revenue is generated through three streams: recurring magazine subscriptions and newsstand sales (Magazine Publishing), one-time sales of visitors guides and special-interest publications (Guides and Directories), and sale of advertising space to local businesses and organizations (Print Advertising). Distribution occurs via newsstands, direct subscriptions, visitor centers, hotels, real estate offices, and municipal buildings. Strategic relationships include an ongoing partnership with Parks and Green Spaces LLC for environmental content and co-produced prints and postcards. Pricing, advertising rates, and revenue figures are not publicly disclosed.
Sunflower Publishing firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sunflower Publishing
- Legal name
- Sunflower Publishing
- Website
- https://sunflowerpub.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Sunflower Publishing is a privately held Kansas-based print and digital publisher producing city and regional magazines, visitors guides, and specialty publications serving communities across Kansas through subscriptions, advertising, and direct distribution.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sunflower Publishing industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Regional Magazine Publishing
- NAICS
- Periodical Publishers (51312)
- SIC
- Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAB)
Keywords
Where Sunflower Publishing is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lawrence
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Sunflower Publishing business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Magazine Publishing: Production and sale of city/regional magazines including Lawrence Magazine, Topeka Magazine, Manhattan Magazine, and KANSAS! magazine through subscription and newsstand distribution.
- Guides and Directories: Production of visitors guides, newcomers guides, and special interest publications such as Best of Lawrence and Kansas Weddings.
- Print Advertising: Sale of advertising space within publications to local businesses and organizations.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Sunflower Publishing product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sunflower Publishing is a regional print and digital publishing company that produces a portfolio of city and statewide magazines, visitors guides, newcomers guides, and special-interest publications focused on Kansas communities. The company's portfolio includes publications such as Lawrence Magazine, Topeka Magazine, Manhattan Magazine, KANSAS! magazine, and numerous other localized titles that serve as primary sources of community news, lifestyle content, and local advertising for Kansas residents, visitors, and newcomers.
Product overview
Sunflower Publishing is a Kansas-based publisher of award-winning city/regional magazines and guides. The company publishes multiple regional magazines including Lawrence Magazine, Topeka Magazine, Manhattan Magazine, Discover Eudora, Baldwin City Living, Gardner/Edgerton, and Jefferson Magazine. It also publishes KANSAS! magazine and KANSAS! Outdoors as statewide publications. Additional products include visitors guides (Explore Lawrence Visitors Guide, Douglas County Newcomers Guide), specialty publications (Best of Lawrence, Kansas Weddings, KU Basketball/KU Today), and Lawrence Senior Magazine. The portfolio represents a collection of localized print and digital publications serving Kansas communities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Lawrence Magazine: City/regional magazine serving Lawrence, Kansas
- Topeka Magazine
- Manhattan Magazine
- KANSAS! magazine
- KANSAS! Outdoors
- Discover Eudora
- Baldwin City Living
- Gardner/Edgerton
- Best of Lawrence
- Kansas Weddings
- Jefferson Magazine
- Lawrence Senior Magazine
Products and services
- Lawrence Magazine
Companies that use Sunflower Publishing
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Sunflower Publishing technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Sunflower Publishing partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Parks and Green Spaces (LLC)coreOngoing collaboration with Parks and Green Spaces LLC for the See Lawrence: Parks and Green Spaces and See Topeka projects, producing WPA-style poster series celebrating Kansas parks and natural areas. Sunflower Publishing and Parks and Green Spaces co-produce prints and postcards of regional scenes by local artists.
- Lawrence Parks & Green Spaces ProjectcoreProject partner for See Lawrence and See Topeka environmental coverage, with Parks and Green Spaces offering prints and postcards of regional scenes at parksandgreenspaces.com
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Sunflower Publishing competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- SagaCity Media: SagaCity Media publishes city/regional lifestyle magazines such as Portland Monthly and Seattle Met, directly comparable to Sunflower Publishing's model of multi-title city magazines serving specific metropolitan communities with subscription and advertising revenue.
- Hour Media: Hour Media publishes regional city magazines including Detroit Hour, Chicago magazine, and Pittsburgh Magazine, making it a direct peer in city/regional magazine publishing with subscription, advertising, and special-issue revenue streams.
- 5280 Publishing: 5280 Publishing operates Denver's Mile High city magazine plus ancillary publications, mirroring Sunflower Publishing's hyperlocal city/regional magazine model with subscription and local advertising.
- Metrocorp (Philadelphia Magazine): Metrocorp publishes Philadelphia Magazine and related city publications, directly comparable to Sunflower Publishing as a multi-title city/regional magazine publisher serving a defined local market with subscription and advertising revenue.
- Cleveland Magazine / Great Lakes Publishing: Great Lakes Publishing produces Cleveland Magazine and other regional titles in the Ohio market, sharing Sunflower's model of regional city magazine publishing with local advertising as a key revenue driver.
- D Magazine: D Magazine publishes D Magazine and D CEO serving the Dallas market, directly comparable as a city/regional magazine publisher with subscription, advertising, and special-interest publications (e.g., best-of guides).
- Cincinnati Magazine: Cincinnati Magazine is a Midwestern city/regional magazine operating with a similar hyperlocal editorial model and subscription plus local advertising revenue mix to Sunflower Publishing.
- Milwaukee Magazine: Milwaukee Magazine is a city/regional magazine serving the Milwaukee market with subscription, advertising, and special publications — structurally similar to Sunflower's Midwestern city magazine portfolio.
Broad incumbents
- Emmis Communications: Emmis Communications is a diversified media company that historically operated city/regional magazines (e.g., Indianapolis Monthly) alongside radio stations, making it a broad incumbent in the regional magazine space that has overlap with Sunflower's city magazine focus.
- Trusted Media Brands: Trusted Media Brands operates a portfolio of lifestyle and enthusiast magazines (e.g., Reader's Digest, Taste of Home), representing a broader incumbent in the consumer magazine publishing space with advertising sales infrastructure comparable to Sunflower's regional model.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Sunflower Publishing social profiles
Digital presenceSunflower Publishing financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sunflower Publishing leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Sunflower Publishing funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sunflower Publishing M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Sunflower Publishing
What does Sunflower Publishing do?
Sunflower Publishing is a regional print and digital publishing company that produces a portfolio of city and statewide magazines, visitors guides, newcomers guides, and special-interest publications focused on Kansas communities. The company's portfolio includes publications such as Lawrence Magazine, Topeka Magazine, Manhattan Magazine, KANSAS! magazine, and numerous other localized titles that serve as primary sources of community news, lifestyle content, and local advertising for Kansas residents, visitors, and newcomers.
Is Sunflower Publishing a public or private company?
Sunflower Publishing is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Sunflower Publishing founded?
Sunflower Publishing was founded in 1999. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Sunflower Publishing based?
Sunflower Publishing is headquartered in Lawrence, United States, in the North America region.
How does Sunflower Publishing make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Magazine Publishing is the primary driver. The others are guides and Directories and print Advertising.
Who are Sunflower Publishing's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are SagaCity Media, Hour Media, 5280 Publishing, Metrocorp (Philadelphia Magazine), Cleveland Magazine / Great Lakes Publishing, D Magazine, Cincinnati Magazine and Milwaukee Magazine. Broad incumbents are Emmis Communications and Trusted Media Brands.
Does Sunflower Publishing have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sunflower Publishing.
What industry is Sunflower Publishing in?
Sunflower Publishing's product category is Regional Magazine Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAEAO, News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines, with a secondary code of MPAJADAB, Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital). Its NAICS code is 51312 and its SIC code is 2721.