| 1886 | Pennsylvania newsman Henry P. Stein launches the Kansas City Implement & Farm Journal, the first publication of what will eventually become Intertec Publishing, then Prism Business Media, and today Penton Media. |
| 1892 | Canadian immigrant John Augustus Penton, an iron molder, publishes the initial issue of his first magazine, Foundry, in Detroit. |
| 1901 | John Penton moves to Cleveland to head the Iron and Steel Press Company, publisher of Foundry and Iron Trade Review. Within a decade, Penton Publishing becomes one of the country's largest business publishers.
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1925
| Penton wins printing contracts for Time and the Saturday Review of Literature but later decides to pursue magazine publishing rather than commercial printing.
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| 1930 | Penton adds titles such as Machine Design and New Equipment Digest and revamps Iron Trade Review, renaming it Steel; 40 years later, it becomes IndustryWeek.
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1952
| After a series of ownership changes over almost 70 years, Henry Stein's company changes its name to Implement & Tractor Publications Inc.
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1967
| International Telephone & Telegraph (ITT) purchases Implement & Tractor Publications and changes the company name to the Intertec Publishing Corporation.
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1976
| Penton is purchased by Pittway Corporation, a conglomerate with diverse industry interests, including Industrial Publishing Company (IPC), owner of numerous small magazines focused on industry market segments. Penton and IPC merge to form Penton/IPC Publishing.
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1985
| Macmillan acquire Intertec and other ITT publications.
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1986
| Intertec buys Telephony Publishing Corp. from Fargo family in Chicago. Telephony is the No. 1 publication in the telecommunications industry.
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| 1987 | Intertec buys Clymer Publications in Los Angeles. Clymer publishes 200 service manuals for cars, motorcycles, and marine equipment.
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1989
| Intertec acquires Webb Publishing in St. Paul, MN publisher of seven agricultural magazines.
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1989
| K III Holdings, an affiliate of KKR & Co, acquires Intertec.
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1990
| Intertec buys Ward's Communications in Detroit. Titles include Ward's Auto World, Ward's Automotive Reports, Ward's Auto Dealer, Ward's Automotive International, Ward's Automotive Yearbook, and Ward's Engine Update.
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1995
| Intertec acquires magazines and related trade shows from Maclean Hunter USA, including Coal, Rock Products, Concrete Products, International Construction, and Engineering & Mining Journal as well as American Printer, Boxboard Containers International, and Paper, Film & Foil Converter.
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1997
| Intertec acquires Plaza Communications, publisher of Registered Representative, the leading national magazine for retail stockbrokers.
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1997
| K-III Communications announces its name change to PRIMEDIA Inc.
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1997
| Intertec purchases the Cardinal Business Media Music & Entertainment Group, consisting of Mix, Electronic Musician, Recording Industry Sourcebook, and related titles as well as the sports-related title, Club Industry.
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1998
| Intertec purchases Cowles Business Media, publisher of Catalog Age, Direct, and Promo, as well as related trade shows.
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1998
| Penton changes its name to Penton Media, Inc., completes a spin-off from Pittway, and becomes an independent public company.
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1999
| Penton divests non-core printing and direct mail operations to concentrate on developing its media portfolio.
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1999
| Penton acquires New Hope Natural Media.
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2000
| Penton acquires Duke Communications International, owner of leading IT media brands serving the Windows and IBM operating platform market segments.
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2005
| PRIMEDIA announces it is exploring the sale of Primedia Business Magazines & Media Inc.
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2005
| John French becomes President of Primedia Business Magazines & Media Inc.
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2005
| Wasserstein & Co, LP, through its U. S. Equity Partners II, LP investment partnership, agrees to purchase Primedia Business Magazines & Media Inc. |
2005
| Primedia Business Magazines & Media Inc., becomes Prism Business Media Inc.
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2005
| Prism acquires Boston Aviation Services (BAS) and the Ward's franchise (magazines and related products).
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2006
| Prism acquires Transportation Technical Services (TTS). TTS assets include the trucking industry's most widely used database/directory and FleetSeek, a customized vertical search engine.
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2006
| Prism acquires SpeedNews, Inc., a leading source of news and information for executives in the aviation industry, as well as a producer of newsletters and conferences.
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2006
| Prism owner Wasserstein & Co. announces agreement to acquire Penton Media. The combined company represents the largest business-to-business media companies in the United States.
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2006
| Prism acquires Supermarket News group of products from Fairchild Publications. The group serves the food retailing segment.
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2007
| Prism completes the acquisition of Penton Media. MidOcean Partners, a private equity firm, acquires a 50% interest in the combined company from Wasserstein & Co. The combined company makes a phased transition to operate under the Penton Media brand.
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