History
Bobit Business Media was founded in 1961
with the launching of Automotive Fleet
in Glenview, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.
“I still have the credenza I bought
for $12 that we used to lay out the first
issue of Automotive Fleet Magazine,”
reminisces Ed Bobit, chairman and chief
executive officer.
By 1964, Bobit Business Media acquired
two more publications, Metro and School
Bus Fleet, to strengthen its position
in the transportation market. “We
had this vision to provide valuable, and
useable, information to key underserved
market areas in transportation,”
states Ty Bobit, president and chief operating
officer.
Seeking warmer weather, the company moved
to Southern California in 1977 and established
an office in Redondo Beach. “We
had lived most of our lives in the Chicago-area
and really just wanted to experience winters
without shoveling snow!” quips Ed
Bobit.
To enhance its communications, Bobit Business
Media developed conferences and expositions
to help its readers with new products,
training and sourcing vendors. Limousine
& Chauffeur and Mobile Electronics
trade shows were launched in the 80s as
a way of bringing an industry together
face-to-face.
In 2000, Bobit Business Media acquired
the three-magazine automotive group of
Modern Tire Dealer, Auto Trim & Restyling
News and Truck Accessory News. Modern
Tire Dealer, an 81-year-old monthly is
based in Akron, Ohio, with a circulation
of 32,000 controlled, while the other
two are based in the Torrance office.
“We’re continually diversifying
the way we deliver information—we’ve
got our magazines but have also added
trade shows and the Internet to our communications
mix,” says Ty Bobit. Bobit Business
Media Company currently has 19 Web sites
and 14 e-newsletters that meet specific
markets’ need for knowledge, news
and networking.
Today, Bobit Business Media occupies over
55,000 square feet in Torrance, California,
with 11 regional offices throughout the
United States.
|
