Hatton-Brown Publishers

What Hatton-Brown Publishers does

Hatton-Brown Publishers is a privately held B2B trade publisher founded in 1948 and headquartered in Montgomery, Alabama. The company operates a portfolio of six specialized trade magazines — Southern Loggin' Times, Timber Harvesting, Timber Processing, Panel World, Wood Bioenergy, and Power Equipment Trade — serving the forestry, timber harvesting, wood products manufacturing, wood-to-energy bioenergy, and outdoor power equipment industries across North America. Subscriptions are free to qualified U.S. industry professionals, with small fees for international readers of Wood Bioenergy. Distribution combines print, dedicated publication websites, email newsletters (including PETnet), and social media on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

The company produces three biennial industry trade shows — PELICE (Panel & Engineered Lumber International Conference & Expo, launched 2008), the Wood Bioenergy Conference & Expo (launched 2012), and the Timber Processing and Energy Expo (launched 2012) — operated through subsidiary Hatton-Brown Expositions, LLC. Complementary subsidiaries include Plywood & Panel World, Inc. (acquired 1982, panel industry publication) and H-B Media (website design and promotional materials). The company also offers marketing services including ad layout and design, survey sponsorships, database services, direct mail, reprints, and email marketing campaigns, sold via a territory-based sales rep network covering Southern U.S., Midwest & Northeast U.S./Eastern Canada, Western U.S./Western Canada/International, and North America/Western Canada.

Revenue is generated through four primary streams: advertising across all six publications (primary), exhibitor booth fees and attendee registrations from three biennial trade shows, free/subscription circulation, and professional marketing services. The company has been under sole ownership of David H. Ramsey since March 26, 2019, when he acquired co-founder D.K. Knight's stake following Knight's retirement after 51 years. Dianne C. Sullivan serves as Chief Operating Officer and Secretary (joined 1964). The company has no venture capital or institutional investors, operates without publicly disclosed financials, and maintains no disclosed AI, API, or software product capabilities — positioning it as a traditional trade media and events business rather than a technology platform.

Name

Hatton-Brown Publishers

Legal name

Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc.

Website

https://hattonbrown.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hatton-Brown Publishers is a privately held B2B trade publisher, founded in 1948 and based in Montgomery, Alabama, operating six niche trade magazines (logging, timber, panels, bioenergy, power equipment) and three biennial trade shows serving forest products and outdoor power equipment professionals across North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Publishing / Business Media

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (51312)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Business, Finance & Industry Trade Magazines (MPAJAEAM)

Keywords

• Trade publishing services
• Forestry industry media
• Timber trade magazines
• Bioenergy industry events
• Outdoor power equipment publications

Headquarters

HQ city

Montgomery

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advertising Revenue: Primary revenue stream from display and classified advertising across all Hatton-Brown trade publications including Southern Loggin' Times, Timber Harvesting, Timber Processing, Panel World, Wood Bioenergy, and Power Equipment Trade.
2. Trade Show Exhibitor and Registration Fees: Revenue from industry trade shows including Wood Bioenergy Conference & Expo, PELICE (Panel & Engineered Lumber International Conference & Expo), and Timber Processing and Energy Expo through exhibitor booth fees and attendee registrations.
3. Subscriptions: Free subscriptions for qualified U.S. readers in forestry, timber, wood products, and power equipment industries. International readers pay a small subscription fee for Wood Bioenergy publication.
4. Marketing Services: Additional services including ad layout and design, survey sponsorships, database services, direct mail, reprints, and email marketing campaigns provided to advertising clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Hatton-Brown Publishers is a B2B trade media company that publishes six niche trade magazines and produces three biennial industry conferences serving the forestry, timber, wood products, bioenergy, and outdoor power equipment sectors in North America. Its core revenue is generated by selling display and classified advertising in its magazines and exhibitor/registration fees at its events, supplemented by marketing services such as ad layout, database services, direct mail, reprints, and email marketing. Free subscriptions to qualified industry professionals sustain a tightly targeted audience for advertisers.

Product overview

Hatton-Brown Publishers is a trade publishing company serving the forestry, timber, wood products, bioenergy, and power equipment industries since 1948. The company operates a portfolio of six trade publications (Southern Loggin' Times, Timber Harvesting, Timber Processing, Panel World, Wood Bioenergy, and Power Equipment Trade) and produces three major industry conferences/events (Bioenergy Conference & Expo, PELICE, and Timber Processing and Energy Expo). Additionally, the company offers marketing services including ad layout, survey sponsorships, database services, direct mail, reprints, and email marketing. The publications and events focus on niche segments of the forest products industry and power equipment community, with subscriptions free to qualified industry professionals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Southern Loggin' Times A trade tabloid magazine published 12 times a year covering the forest-rich Southern U.S. with logger profiles, equipment features, and family-friendly forest industry outreach; free to qualified industry professionals.
• Timber Harvesting A trade magazine published six times a year providing editorial coverage, equipment updates, business management information, and commentary on the U.S. wood fiber supply chain.
• Timber Processing A trade magazine published ten times a year covering softwood and hardwood lumber markets worldwide, with reporting on sawmill startup projects and key industry management relationships.
• Panel World The world's leading publication covering OSB, particleboard, MDF, laminates, and softwood and hardwood face veneer industries.
• Wood Bioenergy A trade magazine published six times per year covering the wood-to-energy sector, delivered worldwide to corporate executives, mill owners, mill managers, logging contractors, and equity venture interests.
• Power Equipment Trade A trade magazine published six times per year serving the outdoor power equipment community with industry news, new product coverage, dealer-focused selling strategies, and the PETnet e-newsletter.
• PELICE (Panel & Engineered Lumber International Conference & Expo) A biennial international conference and expo covering the panel and engineered lumber industries, serving exhibitors and attendees through face-to-face engagement and equipment sales.
• Bioenergy Conference & Expo A biennial wood bioenergy industry conference and expo held in Atlanta, Georgia, connecting exhibitors with senior industry executives, mill owners, and logging contractors.
• Timber Processing and Energy Expo A biennial trade show held at the Portland Exposition Center in Portland, Oregon, bringing together timber processing and energy industry exhibitors and attendees.
• Marketing Services (Ad Layout, Survey Sponsorships, Database Services, Direct Mail, Reprints, Email Marketing) A suite of fee-based marketing services for advertisers, including professional ad layout and design, survey design and deployment, database creation and management, turnkey direct mail projects with pre-sorting, digital and print reprints with custom modifications, and cost-effective email marketing campaigns.

Quantifiable outcome

• Testimonial reports equipment order valued in excess of $800,000 due to contact made at Portland Expo
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Wood Bioenergy Conference & ExpocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Wood Bioenergy Conference & Expo launched in 2012 as an allied event to PELICE. The event has grown to eighth edition by 2026 and is held at Omni Atlanta Hotel at Centennial Park.
• Panel & Engineered Lumber International Conference & Expo (PELICE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Biennial trade show launched in 2008 through affiliation with Plywood & Panel World. PELICE has grown to become the ninth edition by 2026, held at Omni Atlanta Hotel at Centennial Park.
• American Pulpwood AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1993Hatton-Brown entered into agreement with American Pulpwood Association to publish a new edition of How To Stay At Peace With Your Government book in 1993, with two additional printings following.
• Plywood & Panel World, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1990Companion corporation jointly held with Hatton-Brown principals that launched PELICE trade show in 2008. This subsidiary acquired Plywood & Panel magazine in January 1982 and was instrumental in expanding into panel industry events.
• Mid-South Forestry Equipment ShowminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1990Hatton-Brown formed live show alliance with Mid-South Forestry Equipment Show, extending company identity and increasing revenue through event affiliations.
• Mid-Atlantic Logging & Biomass ExpominorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1990Hatton-Brown formed live show alliance with Mid-Atlantic Logging & Biomass Expo as part of diversification into forest products trade show affiliations.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Questex: Large B2B media and events company serving technology, healthcare, and industrial markets with magazines, conferences, and lead-generation services. Comparable integrated B2B media-plus-events model at meaningfully larger scale.
• Clarion Events: Global events company producing trade shows and conferences across multiple industries. Comparable events-first B2B media model with significant overlap in trade-show production capabilities and revenue mechanics.
• Informa Markets: Global B2B media and exhibitions division of Informa plc, producing trade shows, conferences, and trade publications across dozens of industries. Comparable events-led B2B media model serving industrial and forest-products-adjacent verticals.

Direct peers

• BNP Media: Privately held B2B trade publisher producing ~50+ magazines, live events, and custom media across industrial, commercial, and design markets. Highly comparable multi-vertical, multi-product B2B media operating model.
• Sandhills Publishing: Privately held trade publisher producing magazines, websites, and hosted buyer guides for agricultural, construction, transportation, and heavy equipment markets. Direct overlap in equipment-focused trade publishing and qualified-audience monetization.
• Meister Media Worldwide: B2B trade media company serving specialty agriculture, horticulture, and industrial crop markets with magazines, events, and digital properties. Comparable specialty-vertical trade publisher with similar audience-qualification and event monetization approach.
• TradePress Media Group: B2B trade media company producing magazines, newsletters, and digital products for industrial, environmental, and safety markets. Comparable mid-size, privately held, multi-title trade publisher serving niche industrial audiences.
• Endeavor Business Media: B2B media company formed from the combination of multiple trade publishing brands, serving design, construction, industrial, and healthcare markets with magazines, events, and digital media. Direct analog in scale and structure to Hatton-Brown's portfolio strategy.
• Randall-Reilly: B2B trade media company publishing magazines, producing events, and providing marketing services for transportation, construction, and industrial markets. Closely matches Hatton-Brown's combined magazine-plus-event-plus-marketing-services business model serving niche industrial verticals.
• Peerless Media: B2B trade media company producing magazines, conferences, and digital media for woodworking, cabinetry, and related forest-adjacent manufacturing industries. Direct niche overlap with Hatton-Brown's Panel World and woodworking coverage.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/HBpublishers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hatton-brown-publishers-inc-
• Instagraminstagram.com/hattonbrown
• Xx.com/hattonbrown

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries3 records

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 Hatton-Brown Publishers