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About
In 1978, Tom and Rhonda Peed founded Sandhills Publishing (then Peed Corporation) in an old blacksmith shop in Webster City, Iowa. The company had only seven employees at the time, two of whom were Tom’s parents.
The first Sandhills publication, Machinery Trader, rolled off the presses in March of that year. The company sent the inaugural edition of the trade publication to 20,000 readers. Lacking sophisticated mailing equipment, the staff labeled each of the copies by hand and dropped them off at the local post office in a pickup truck. Machinery Trader found a niche in the construction industry, and circulation increased. As the publication grew, so did Sandhills, introducing two additional trade publications in 1985—Controller and Truck Paper.
Growth & Expansion
On the cutting edge of the technology industry in the late eighties, the company expanded its repertoire of computer publications with two consumer-interest magazines: CyberTrend, which offers technology insights for growing small businesses and traveling professionals and Computer Power User, which was later added and effectively expanded reach to highly advanced, tech-savvy computer users.
Following the success of Controller, geared toward dealers and end-users in the aircraft industry, Executive Controller rolled off the press in 1992. Charter Hub was later introduced to offer an effective, direct connection between buyers and sellers of current charter aircraft and flights.
AuctionTime provides those in the market the ability to buy and sell equipment at auction values quickly and easily; Machinery Trader Auction Results, released biannually, premiered in January 1993 as a valuable market tool referencing auction results for a range of equipment. As technology continued to advance in the business community, Sandhills found a valuable place in the market for hosted online services and launched a series of companion websites for its successful print publications.
Today, Sandhills’ user-friendly online databases are some of the most valuable resources in their industries for dealers listing inventory and buyers seeking the products and equipment on which they rely.
Unprecedented Distribution Channels
To establish networks that bring buyers and sellers together, Sandhills takes a calculated and diligent approach to distribution. The company has carefully customized distribution models for each publication based on the target reader. "The key to a successful bulk distribution model is ensuring our magazines are readily available to the markets we serve," says Assistant Manager of Distribution Lindsay Kant.
Representatives build relationships with readers and managers at distribution locations who provide constant feedback.
"Many of our customers are impressed that we travel all the way from Lincoln, Nebraska to visit them. It shows the dedication of Sandhills as a company and our commitment to the markets we serve."
Lindsay Kant, Assistant Manager of DistributionSandhills’ publications also serve as companion resources for online databases where dealers can update and display print listings at any time. "We’re printing more now than we ever have before," says Lindsay. "That’s something that surprises a lot of people since a lot of companies are going digital and only digital, but our model builds readers in both mediums because the websites support the print and vice versa," she adds.
Combining Print & Digital Technologies
As the success of Sandhills’ print publications grew over the years, the company continued to invest in technologies to support the growth of both print and digital consumption. In 2005, Sandhills launched the TractorHouse website, an agricultural equipment resource connecting buyers and sellers of new and used farm equipment and parts.
"When we started TractorHouse, our intention was for it to be strictly a website," says Vice President of Sales and Marketing Shawn Peed. "Within the first year, we could tell we weren’t generating the results we needed." A companion print publication was born, driven by the needs of buyers and sellers in the marketplace. Meanwhile, the Web platforms took off. "It was amazing to see the Web traffic explode after we started printing publications for AuctionTime and TractorHouse," says Machinery Trader Department Manager Chuck Lewis, "Both of these publications began after the onset of the digital age, yet it took print publications combined with on-target distribution to meet the needs of the market," he notes.
The success of TractorHouse also encouraged the development of Sandhills’ first internationally distributed print publication, MarketBook, which combines regional listings from TractorHouse, Truck Paper, and Machinery Trader into one comprehensive publication.
Press Technologies
To accommodate an expanding print readership, Sandhills Publishing invested early in allocating the most ideal press technologies for its growing list of publications. Using some of the most innovative technology in the industry, the press converts publications directly from their digital format via a groundbreaking direct-to-plate process. At full speeds, the press is able to produce 1.76 million pages of print per hour.
Company Culture
Even as new and innovative technologies contribute to efficiency and productivity, it’s the intangibles—the employees, the work ethic, the culture—that remain Sandhills’ greatest assets. Focusing on collaborative business relationships that build on personal and group strengths, the company fosters an environment of creativity, growth, and innovation.
This open environment, fueled by the high value placed on progressive technologies, is perhaps the reason Sandhills has established such a name for itself as an industry innovator.
Sandhills’ culture of openness to implementing new ideas is ideal for the company’s growing internship program, which also contributes to an energetic and entrepreneurial spirit. Interns gain realworld experience in areas including software development, information technology, graphic design, sales, marketing, journalism, and more. The program was established early and has continued to grow over the past decade from approximately 20 students to over 100. The experienced management staff, developed and promoted from within the company, is also a valuable resource for other employees and an asset to the company’s success. "Sandhills managers are homegrown and come from experience earned while developing as a part of the organization," explains Chuck Lewis, who started with the company 18 years ago gathering auction results and for-sale listings distributed electronically over the Peed Parts Network. As the Peed Network evolved, Chuck moved into an assistant management role for Machinery Trader, continuing to develop products and services offered through publications and digital mediums. Today, Chuck oversees the entire Machinery Trader division in addition to serving as a Managing Director for Sandhills.
Sandhills’ management strategy focuses heavily on this philosophy of constant improvement. An environment of open communication through daily contact and weekly reporting provides employees an opportunity to identify patterns of success while highlighting prospects for improvement.
Community Outreach & Stewardship
Sandhills Publishing is also involved in the local community, reaching out to area universities with scholarships and at career fairs that generate interest from the upcoming job market. In 2012, Tom and Rhonda gifted a commitment to the University of Nebraska Foundation to create the Sandhills Publishing Student Program, which awards a scholarship to eight students each year.
Sandhills has since carried forward the tradition of community stewardship by hosting charity events, forging partnerships with community organizations such as the YMCA of Lincoln, the Lincoln Children’s Museum and the Lincoln Children’s Zoo, Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital, and the Lincoln Community Playhouse. The company also sponsors Junior Achievement of Lincoln, the Great Plains Trails Network, Habitat for Humanity, the Friendship Home, and the Special Olympics. An employee donation program develops a culture of community service and stewardship at Sandhills.
"We have been blessed with the success we have and feel that we should share with those less fortunate."
Tom Peed, President and Founder of Sandhills PublishingSponsored events such as the Junior Achievement Bowl-A-Thon, the Lincoln Paint-A-Thon, and the Cornhusker State Games provide employees opportunities to volunteer and interact with many of these organizations and the communities they benefit.
Invest & Innovate
In 2012, Sandhills Publishing began establishing offices overseas to better serve the global reach of the company’s publications and services. Investments in data redundancy technologies and highly efficient processing servers have helped Sandhills stay on the cutting edge as it continues its vision of offering customers the absolute highest quality service. With an ongoing interest in investing in the gradual growth of the company and the success of the markets it serves, Sandhills Publishing continues to evolve and move forward.