GM Johnson and Associates
GM Johnson & Associates Ltd. is a Vancouver, BC-based computer cartography company that designs, publishes, and sells street maps, state maps, regional maps, sectional maps, and atlases for North American retail consumers via e-commerce and wholesale channels, operating four distinct cartographic brands.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2000
- HeadquartersVancouver, Canada
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What GM Johnson and Associates does
GM Johnson and Associates Ltd. is a privately held computer cartography company headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, specializing in the design, publication, and sale of street maps, state maps, regional maps, sectional maps, and atlases for the North American retail market, with a recent extension into European and world cartography. The firm maintains four distinct cartographic styles acquired through organic development and three asset acquisitions (Global Graphics Maps in July 2019, Five Star Maps in December 2020, and Lucidmap cartography in 2021), enabling it to serve diverse geographic regions with differentiated visual treatments. Core technology consists of proprietary computer cartography pipelines for map design and publishing, plus integration technology for combining acquired cartographic assets into unified GM Johnson-branded products. Product output has been aggressive, with 76 new map titles published in 2021 and 56 in 2022-2023, including completion of Alaska/Yukon/Northwest Territories, Michigan, and New York state maps.
The company monetizes through one-time physical map sales (street maps priced $3.95-$8.95, state maps at $5.95-$5.99, rapid route laminated maps from $6.95, plus specialty sectional, recreation, and California winery maps) sold via its own e-commerce storefront (gmjohnsonmaps.com) with USD and CAD support, supplemented by a wholesale/reseller program and distribution through partners including Rand McNally. Fulfillment is handled from Vancouver and a Milwaukee, Wisconsin warehouse established after the Five Star Maps acquisition, with an additional Calgary, Alberta branch office opened in August 2022. Primary customers are individual North American consumers purchasing for navigation, tourism, and reference use, with secondary segments in wholesale distribution and media productions where GM Johnson maps appear as set dressing. The company is privately held with no disclosed external funding, has grown via cash-flow-funded acquisitions in a consolidating print-map industry, and faces a near-term tailwind from the May 2026 closure of the largest Canadian competitor, Map Art.
GM Johnson and Associates firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- GM Johnson and Associates
- Legal name
- GM Johnson & Associates Ltd.
- Website
- https://gmjohnsonmaps.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2000
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- GM Johnson & Associates Ltd. is a Vancouver, BC-based computer cartography company that designs, publishes, and sells street maps, state maps, regional maps, sectional maps, and atlases for North American retail consumers via e-commerce and wholesale channels, operating four distinct cartographic brands.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where GM Johnson and Associates is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Vancouver
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
GM Johnson and Associates business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Physical Map Sales: One-time purchase of printed street maps, state maps, regional maps, and atlases. Products are sold individually with no recurring subscription. Includes street maps priced from $3.95 to $8.95 and state maps from $5.95 to $5.99.
- Wholesale/Reseller Distribution: Bulk sales to resellers and wholesale customers through dedicated reseller program.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Street Maps - Individual city/area maps |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | State Maps - Individual state road maps |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Regional Maps - Multi-state area maps |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Rapid Route Laminated Maps |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
GM Johnson and Associates product offering
Product offeringCore offering
GM Johnson and Associates is a computer cartography company that designs, publishes, and sells physical printed street maps, state road maps, regional maps, sectional maps, recreation maps, and specialty maps (such as California winery maps) for the North American retail market. The company sells these products primarily through its own e-commerce website and via wholesale/reseller channels under multiple cartographic style brands (GM Johnson, Global Graphics, Five Star Maps, and Lucidmap), with international expansion into European country maps and a world map.
Product overview
GM Johnson & Associates Ltd. is a computer cartography company specializing in street maps and atlas publishing for the North American retail market. The company operates three primary map brands: GM Johnson Maps (GMJ) as the core brand, Five Star Maps (FS) acquired in 2020, and Global Graphics Maps (GG) acquired in 2019. The product portfolio includes city street maps, state road maps, regional maps, sectional maps, rapid route laminated maps, recreation maps, and specialized wine region maps. GM Johnson also licenses Lucidmap cartographic style for Canadian and certain US maps. The company expanded internationally in 2021 with European country maps and a world map. Products feature clear labeling, points of interest, multiple cartographic styles, and are available in various formats including physical prints, with certain older titles available digitally. The company uses advanced computer cartography technology and maintains multiple cartographic libraries acquired through industry collaboration and acquisitions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Five Star Maps: Acquired brand covering street maps for Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and state map titles, featuring H.M. Gousha Map cartographic style.
- Global Graphics Maps
- Lucidmap
Products and services
- Street Maps
Quantifiable outcome
- Maps appear in TV shows and news broadcasts, demonstrating brand visibility and quality recognition
Companies that use GM Johnson and Associates
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
GM Johnson and Associates technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
GM Johnson and Associates partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Five Star Maps (Freida & Tom Loggins)coreGM Johnson acquired the assets of Five Star Maps from co-founders Freida and Tom Loggins on December 16, 2020. Five Star Maps covers areas from California to Maine with H.M. Gousha Map cartographic style influence. Lexington NC location was closed and inventory moved to Milwaukee WI fulfillment.
- Global Graphics Maps (Maxine Hesse)coreGM Johnson acquired the assets of Global Graphics Maps from co-founder Maxine Hesse on July 15, 2019. All GG maps covering primarily California are now available for purchase through GM Johnson's website. Some GG maps have European cartographic style and influence.
- Lucidmap Inc.coreCollaboration in 2018-2019 with Lucidmap Inc. (formerly MapMobility Corp., formerly cartographic supplier to Map Art) to produce 46 city and regional maps of Canada plus city street map books and provincial maps. Lucidmap uses a double line road style with European cartographic influence. In 2021, GM Johnson purchased Lucidmap cartography of certain USA state and sectional maps to fill gaps.
- Map ArtminorThe largest map publisher in Canada, Map Art closed in May 2026. Lucidmap Inc. (a GM Johnson partner) previously served as cartographic supplier to Map Art. This market exit created opportunity for GM Johnson expansion.
- International Map Industry Association (IMIA)minorGM Johnson President Guy Johnson presented on collaboration at IMIA conference in November 2016. This industry forum influenced GM Johnson's acquisition strategy and collaborative business model.
- Rand McNallyminorSome GM Johnson maps are distributed through Rand McNally, evidenced by products like Austin TX street map branded with Rand McNally publisher label but GM Johnson as author.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
GM Johnson and Associates competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- National Geographic Maps: Publishes wall maps, travel maps, recreation/topographic maps and atlases. Larger and broader media brand, but overlaps directly with GM Johnson's recreation, state, and world-map categories.
- AAA (American Automobile Association): Provides trip-routing maps and paper map products to members as part of a broader travel/insurance/emergency services offering. Overlaps on consumer paper-map distribution but does not specialize in map publishing.
- Lonely Planet: Travel content publisher whose maps and atlases serve the same traveler and gift-market buyer GM Johnson targets with its European and world maps, though as part of a broader guide/content franchise.
Regional players
- Ordnance Survey: UK national mapping agency producing detailed paper maps and outdoor products. Comparable on cartographic quality and brand trust but serves a primarily UK/European market rather than North America.
Direct peers
- Borch Maps (Borch GmbH): German publisher of European and worldwide city, country, and travel maps in the familiar folded/laminated format. Comparable product on European country maps and travel-guide cartography.
- Rand McNally: Largest US-based map and atlas publisher with overlapping product categories (street maps, road atlases). Already a channel relationship — some GM Johnson maps carry the Rand McNally publisher label — making it the closest direct peer and a distribution partner simultaneously.
- Benchmark Maps: US-based publisher of state, wall, recreation, and folded maps for the outdoor and travel markets. Highly comparable product mix and customer segments (travelers, recreation, gift).
- ITMB Publishing: Travel-map publisher offering country and city maps globally, including developing-world coverage. Closest comparability on printed travel maps sold through retail/wholesale channels.
- Maps International: UK-based world and country map publisher operating in the same retail/e-commerce channel structure. Direct comparability on world maps and European country maps — exactly the categories GM Johnson launched in 2021.
Emerging players
- DeLorme (now part of Garmin): Was a leading US atlas/map publisher (now under Garmin) whose pivot to digital navigation illustrates both the strategic precedent and the secular risk facing GM Johnson's print business.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
GM Johnson and Associates social profiles
Digital presenceGM Johnson and Associates financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
GM Johnson and Associates leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
GM Johnson and Associates subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
GM Johnson and Associates funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
GM Johnson and Associates 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 GM Johnson and Associates
What does GM Johnson and Associates do?
GM Johnson and Associates is a computer cartography company that designs, publishes, and sells physical printed street maps, state road maps, regional maps, sectional maps, recreation maps, and specialty maps (such as California winery maps) for the North American retail market. The company sells these products primarily through its own e-commerce website and via wholesale/reseller channels under multiple cartographic style brands (GM Johnson, Global Graphics, Five Star Maps, and Lucidmap), with international expansion into European country maps and a world map.
Is GM Johnson and Associates a public or private company?
GM Johnson and Associates is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was GM Johnson and Associates founded?
GM Johnson and Associates was founded in 2000. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is GM Johnson and Associates based?
GM Johnson and Associates is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, in the North America region.
How does GM Johnson and Associates make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Physical Map Sales are the primary driver. The others are wholesale/Reseller Distribution.
Who are GM Johnson and Associates's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are National Geographic Maps, AAA (American Automobile Association) and Lonely Planet. Ordnance Survey is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are Borch Maps (Borch GmbH), Rand McNally, Benchmark Maps, ITMB Publishing and Maps International. DeLorme (now part of Garmin) is listed as an emerging player.
Does GM Johnson and Associates have an API?
No public API is recorded for GM Johnson and Associates.