Company Profile
Crain Communications, Inc
Company Overview
Crain Communications Inc is one of the largest privately-owned business publishers in the U.S. with over 30 leading business, trade and consumer titles in North America and Europe. As an authoritative source of vital news and information to industry leaders and consumers worldwide, each of the company's newspapers, magazines and electronic news sites have become required reading in their respective sector of business and consumer market. Providing unmatched value and award-winning editorial excellence, the company is respected for its dependable journalism which readers have relied upon for over 90 years.
Company History
Louisville, Ky., 1916 -- G.D. Crain, Jr. starts Crain Communications with a staff of three people and two publications...first publishing Class (subsequently renamed and published by the company today as BtoB) and Hospital Management (a magazine for hospital administrators, which was sold during the 1950s). The tiny staff moved to Chicago later in 1916. In 1930, Mr. Crain launched Advertising Age, the international newspaper of marketing. Crain Communications' publishing interests broadened over time and currently number 32 titles and a variety of other services.
The company has grown substantially from its modest beginnings...
Family-orientation rooted within its corporate culture, Crain Communications is a strong company with over 1,000 employees and 18 offices around the world--its reputation and position are solid, global and growing.
A remarkable record of long, stable management...
As a privately held company, Crain has greater flexibility to reinvest in the business, providing the resources to support its editorial integrity and principles and its growth in the future. The company has had only three chairmen and three presidents since its founding over 80 years ago. Keith Crain, chairman, with elder brother Rance Crain, president, lead the company in a strong legacy set forth first by their father, G.D. Crain, Jr., and later their mother, Gertrude R. Crain. Company founder, G.D. Crain, Jr. helped define the standards of excellence in business-to-business publishing. He served as the company's leader for nearly six decades until his death in 1973. His widow, Gertrude Crain, then followed as company chairman for the next 23 years, establishing new traditions for women in business management both within Crain and outside the company. Mr. and Mrs. Crain are each remembered as preeminent business leaders of their time and their legacy continues today in Crain's commitment to excellence, high journalistic standards and family-orientation as its foundation.
With a long-standing history of thoughtful consideration for its employees...
With an unwavering standard set back in 1943, Crain Communications has recognized the valuable contributions of employees at all levels through an employee profit-sharing plan. Additionally, the company was among some of the first to establish life and medical insurance plans for workers and installed a comprehensive pension plan in the late 1950s. Today these rich offerings continue, also including a year-end bonus plan for employees which has been maintained over many years.
Notable Products / Brands
Advertising Age, Automobie News, AutoWeek, Business Insurance, Business Insurance Europe, BtoB, Crain's Chicago Business, Crain's Detroit Business, Crain's Cleveland Business, Crain's New York Business, Creativity, Investment News, Modern Healthcare, Pensions & Invesments, Plastics News, Plastics & Rubber Weekly, RCR Wireless News, Tire Business, Television Week, Urethanes Technology, Workforce Management, Waste News
Benefits
Life-long careers are not as prevalent today but Crain is the kind of company where you can achieve that. Our employees whose professional tenure with the company exceeds 10 or more years—representing nearly one-third of our workforce—are a wonderful testament to this.
A great place to work, grow and learn...
There are a wide variety of jobs and career tracks available in the publishing industry from editorial, sales and marketing to customer service, finance and technology.
For journalists and budding journalists, Crain is a great place to work. Our reporters investigate and write stories not just modify copy from the wire services. And, there is tremendous growth potential with specialized reporting as found in the b-to-b publishing industry.
For all business professionals, Crain offers a sense of camaraderie and cohesiveness where everyone works hard and toward a common goal. People here genuinely like and respect each other.
With the Internet and new technologies, new opportunities continue to evolve. This medium is a natural extension of the publishing business, whose very core is in the creation and distribution of editorial content. For Crain, the Internet is a growing part of our business. The company's web sites, many state-of-the art, evolve as the medium does and serve to complement the company's primary business and brands.
Crain employees are rewarded based on performance...
It is central to Crain to make sure employees at all levels understand the importance of their contributions and thereby recognize individuals for their efforts in several ways. In addition to employee profit sharing, the company has internal awards for editorial excellence, marketing programs and length of service. And, many publications and departments have special recognition programs for outstanding performance within their respective areas.
Benefits support excellence in future financial planning...
Employee benefits are competitive among its contemporaries. What sets Crain apart is an excellent and rare profit sharing, pension and year-end bonus program. Compared to most 401K plans, the Crain profit-sharing plan is totally funded by the company—the average contribution in the 1990s was 12.7% of the employee's gross income. Participants in the plan are able to make individual investment selections providing the opportunity to direct personal plan assets into certain nationally recognized mutual funds. The company's profit sharing has been in continuous operation since 1943; its comprehensive pension plan since 1959; and, the year-end bonus plan has been maintained for many years.
In addition to these plans, other more traditional employee benefits include medical, dental, disability and life insurance as well as paid time off with holiday, vacation and personal time. Additionally, Crain believes firmly in the value of professional and educational development where further education is encouraged and funded through approved programs.
Opportunities for career advancement are part of the Crain tradition...
Job openings at Crain are posted internally as positions become available due to new staff additions, promotions, resignations, retirements or new endeavors. This allows employees to move and grow within the company. Many working professionals feel that in order to move ahead you have to change companies but there is advancement within Crain for talented and hard-working individuals.