Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

What Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business does

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business is a regional business news publication serving the Tri-Cities and Mid-Columbia region of Washington State, founded around 2002 and operated by Mid-Columbia Media Inc. — a subsidiary of the diversified media conglomerate Cowles Co. The publication delivers 12 monthly issues per year in print and digital formats, covering local industries including banking, construction, real estate, energy, healthcare, Hanford, and agriculture. Its technology stack consists of a website (tricitiesbusinessnews.com) built and hosted by ePublishing, with conventional third-party identity integrations (Google, Facebook) and Twitter embed widgets. No proprietary platform technology or AI/ML capabilities are disclosed.

The company monetizes through five distinct revenue streams: recurring 1-, 2-, and 3-year print+online and online-only subscriptions priced $27.95-$78.95 annually; display and sponsored advertising; live event revenue from four annual events (Best Places to Work Mid-Columbia, Young Professionals awards, Tri-Cities Workforce Forum, and the Senior Times Expo); the Book of Lists data product ($10 PDF/Excel catalog); and $5 single-issue PDF sales. Core customer segments are local business professionals, regional employers, sales/marketing researchers, and senior citizens (served through the affiliated Senior Times publication, which has delivered to 3,000+ seniors since 1982). Distribution is regional, with cross-market reach via sister publication Spokane Journal of Business under the Cowles Co. umbrella. Go-to-market is sales-led and event-driven, combining direct subscription sales with community engagement programming, supported by email newsletters (Morning Edition, daily Monday-Saturday) and a YouTube channel.

Name

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Legal name

Mid-Columbia Media Inc.

Website

https://tricitiesbusinessnews.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business is a regional business news publication serving the Tri-Cities and Mid-Columbia region of Washington State, operated by Mid-Columbia Media Inc. (a Cowles Co. subsidiary). It delivers monthly print and digital issues, hosts four annual events including Best Places to Work, and sells subscriptions, advertising, and the Book of Lists data product to local business professionals and employers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Business News

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120), Newspaper Publishers (51311)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Business, Finance & Industry Trade Magazines (MPAJAEAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAB)

Keywords

• Regional business news
• Print journalism subscriptions
• Business directory publishing
• Employer awards programs
• Local business intelligence

Headquarters

HQ city

Kennewick

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Print and Digital Subscriptions: The primary revenue stream comes from 12-issue annual subscriptions to the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business delivered in print and/or online. Senior Times subscriptions provide additional subscription revenue.
2. Advertising: The publication features sponsored content and accepts advertising from local businesses. The Best Places to Work program and other special publications have named sponsors.
3. Event Revenue: Revenue generated from hosting live events including Best Places to Work Mid-Columbia and Young Professionals awards ceremonies.
4. Book of Lists Sales: The publication sells its Book of Lists compilation which includes industry lists and employer rankings. Available in print and digital (PDF/Excel) formats.
5. Single Issue PDF Sales: Current issue PDFs are sold for $5.00 per download.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business is a monthly regional business newspaper serving the Mid-Columbia/Tri-Cities area of Washington State, distributed through 1-, 2-, and 3-year print plus online subscriptions and online-only subscriptions. It also sells a standalone current-issue PDF, an annual Book of Lists data compilation in PDF and Excel, the Best Places to Work awards program, and operates an E-Edition digital replica on the ePublishing platform. Sister publication Senior Times extends coverage to senior citizens with its own subscription tiers.

Product overview

The Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business is a regional business news publication offering a portfolio of print and digital subscription products. The core offerings include Journal of Business subscriptions in various durations (1, 2, or 3 years) available in print+online or online-only formats, plus a standalone PDF current issue option. A related sub-brand, Senior Times, serves the 60+ demographic with its own subscription tiers. The company also produces the Best Places to Work annual awards program and a comprehensive Book of Lists. All products share access to a digital platform (E-Edition/ePublishing) that delivers content online, with print subscriptions including physical mail delivery of 12 issues per year.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Journal of Business 1-Year Print + Online Subscription Twelve-month subscription delivering 12 monthly printed issues of the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business plus full website access, including special magazine supplements on Ag + Viticulture and Real Estate + Construction, and special sections on Hanford, Young Professionals, Energy, and Best Places to Work. Targeted at regional business professionals in the Mid-Columbia area.
• Journal of Business 2-Year Print + Online Subscription Twenty-four-month subscription providing 24 printed monthly issues of the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business and full website access at a discounted multi-year rate.
• Journal of Business 3-Year Print + Online Subscription Thirty-six-month subscription providing 36 printed monthly issues plus full website access to the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business, with the comprehensive Book of Lists included.
• Journal of Business 1-Year Online-Only Subscription Twelve-month digital subscription that provides 12 months of full website access without any print delivery.
• Journal of Business 2-Year Online-Only Subscription Twenty-four-month digital subscription providing 24 months of full website access without print delivery.
• Journal of Business 3-Year Online-Only Subscription Thirty-six-month digital subscription providing 36 months of full website access, digital access to special supplements, and a digital Book of Lists.
• Journal of Business Current Issue PDF Single downloadable PDF copy of the most current issue of the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business, sold for a one-time fee without an ongoing subscription commitment.
• Senior Times 1-Year Print + Online Subscription Twelve-month print and online subscription to Senior Times, a monthly publication that has delivered news to Mid-Columbia seniors since 1982, with 12 issues delivered at the beginning of each month.
• Senior Times 2-Year Print + Online Subscription Twenty-four-month print and online subscription to Senior Times, the Mid-Columbia senior publication, delivering 24 monthly issues.
• Senior Times 3-Year Print + Online Subscription Thirty-six-month print and online subscription to Senior Times, with delivery to more than 3,000 local seniors across the Mid-Columbia region.
• Best Places to Work Mid-Columbia Program Annual awards program that recognizes quality employers in the Mid-Columbia region based on employer and anonymous employee engagement surveys (administered with Workforce Research Group), culminating in an awards event and a special supplement published in the November issue.
• Book of Lists Comprehensive annual compilation of information about local businesses and contacts in the Tri-Cities region, delivered as a single perpetual-license download available in Adobe PDF and Microsoft Excel formats, used by sales and marketing professionals for lead generation and market intelligence.
• E-Edition Digital replica of the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business accessible through the ePublishing/Tecnavia platform, providing subscribers with online viewing of full issues.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Baker BoyerminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 13 November 2024Baker Boyer is a sponsor of the Best Places to Work Mid-Columbia 2025 program, supporting the annual awards event that celebrates quality employers in the region.
• ePublishingcoreTechnology or IntegrationWebsite design, CMS, hosting, and web development services provider. The tricitiesbusinessnews.com website is built and hosted by ePublishing.
• Workforce Research GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational research firm conducts the anonymous employee engagement surveys used to determine Best Places to Work Mid-Columbia winners.
• Mid-Columbia Media Inc.coreOthersParent company that publishes the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business and Senior Times. Also publishes sister publication Spokane Journal of Business.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sacramento Business Journal: ACBJ title covering the Sacramento region. Another directly comparable regional B2B subscription publication with the standard Book of Lists, industry events, and special publications model.
• Finance & Commerce: Long-running regional business publication serving the Minneapolis/St. Paul market with print + digital subscriptions, public records, and commercial real estate coverage. Comparable mid-sized regional business journal running a similar subscription- and advertising-led model.
• Portland Business Journal: Another American City Business Journals regional business title serving the Portland metro. Directly comparable model: subscription-based B2B news, industry lists, awards programs, and events targeting the Pacific Northwest business community.
• Wichita Business Journal: ACBJ regional business journal serving the Wichita, Kansas market. Closely comparable mid-sized regional business publication in format, subscription tiers, and event-driven GTM — useful as a same-template peer at a different scale and geography.
• Spokane Journal of Business: Sister publication under the same Mid-Columbia Media Inc. / Cowles Co. umbrella, covering the Spokane regional business community with a virtually identical product mix (subscriptions, Book of Lists, events). The closest functional and structural comparable to Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business.
• Puget Sound Business Journal: American City Business Journals title serving the greater Seattle/Puget Sound region. Operates the same regional B2B journal playbook — print + digital subscriptions, Book of Lists, Best Places to Work, events — targeting business professionals in a Washington State market adjacent to Tri-Cities.
• Denver Business Journal: ACBJ title covering Denver metro business. Combines regional B2B news, Book of Lists, awards events, and digital subscriptions in a model that closely parallels Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business, with differences in market scale.

Regional players

• Tri-City Herald: General-interest regional newspaper serving the same Tri-Cities/Mid-Columbia market. Not a direct business-journal competitor but competes for local advertising dollars and reader attention in the same geography, and is referenced as a former employer of the publication's reporter.
• Yakima Herald-Republic: Regional newspaper covering the Yakima Valley in central Washington. Adjacent regional media competitor overlapping in central Washington coverage of agriculture, business, and government affairs.

Broad incumbents

• American City Business Journals: Parent of the Bizjournals network of 40+ regional business publications across the U.S. Operates the standard regional business journal template that Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business follows — represents both the indirect competitive standard and a potential acquirer/platform comparable.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 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 Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business