Expressing a new identity: Meister Media Worldwide: growing minds, feeding dreams.

Agriculture has gone global. Growers are larger and smarter, and the companies serving them have consolidated.

Many marketers find their toughest challenge is serving changing markets. Many media companies are acquainted with that tough challenge, too, and Meister Media Worldwide has been working to meet shifting needs during these changing times.

"Digital technology, biotechnology and globalization are transforming all of the businesses we serve," says Gary T. Fitzgerald, president of Meister Media Worldwide. "As their needs become more complex, we must take our products and services to the next level in order to lead those we serve through these exciting times."

Fitzgerald says that's what continues to drive the company's move toward expanded offerings through the Internet, with video and in real time with seminars and workshops. He says that the need for high-quality, reliable information services has never been greater.

"Over the years, Meister has developed brands serving a wide group of markets," Fitzgerald explains, "and within each of those markets, we have developed a wide range of offerings. We're providing our readers and clients with innovative solutions and comprehensive service--in print, in person and online--and we're doing it around the world."

In December 2003, Meister Publishing Company became Meister Media Worldwide. The change was made to better reflect the diverse media being used to convey knowledge and information to clients and readers across specialized agriculture. Meister Media Worldwide is only the third name in the company's 71-year history. The company began as American Fruit Grower Publishing Co. in 1932 and changed to Meister Publishing Co. in 1961.

"Our name now strongly captures the new Meister--a company that provides much more than magazines to the rapidly changing market communities we serve," says Fitzgerald. "Meister is growing, Meister means multimedia and Meister is global. It's beneficial that our corporate name communicates these facts."

The company has expanded its media products during the past several years to better serve its market communities in the agricultural industry. Media services now include Web sites, trade shows, awards programs, seminars, research and 19 specialized agriculture publications--including CropLife Iron, Today's Garden Center and CI World Report--all launched within the past two years.

"We're marvelously positioned to take this next step," says Chairman Richard T. Meister. "Our magazines have great credibility, but these days our readers and clients need more than magazines to meet their needs in the midst of this information revolution."

Meister, son of company founder E.G.K. Meister, says it's just the latest step in the steady progress of the company's service to a wide variety of specialty markets, meeting the growing needs of dealers, growers and clients. This intent, he says, is captured in the new corporate tagline "Growing Minds, Feeding Dreams."

"The essence of this business has always been staying abreast of the marketplace," says Meister. "However, it's not enough just to educate--we want to inspire and motivate as well. The credibility of our magazine brands offers us a great foundation for providing other things our readers need."

MEISTER MEDIA WORLDWIDE

Meister Media Worldwide is based in Willoughby, Ohio, with offices in Memphis, Tenn., Modesto, Calif., and Orlando, Fla., and representatives around the world. The company serves various global market communities including fruits and citrus, vegetables, cotton, ornamental horticulture, crop input retail, precision agriculture, plant protection and Latin American agriculture.

Products offered include services such as management of trade shows and educational seminars, special projects (Web, video and DVD), awards programs, giveaways and sweepstakes, data management, custom print and research projects, as well as 19 magazines and reference products. Regular publications of Meister Media Worldwide include: American Fruit Grower[TM], American Vegetable Grower[R], Western Fruit Grower[TM], Florida Grower[TM], CropLife[R], CropLife IRON[TM], Farm Chemicals International[TM], MeisterPro Crop Protection Handbook[R], PrecisionAg Buyer's Guide[TM], Greenhouse Grower[R], Ornamental Outlook[TM], Today's Garden Center[TM], Cotton Grower[TM], Cotton Grower PLUS[TM], Cotton International[TM], CI World Report[R], Productores de Hortalizas[R] (Mexico), Productores de Hortalizas[R] (Central America) and La Nueva Era[TM]. Meister Media Worldwide can be found on the Web at www.meistermedia.com.