Freese to Run Motorbooks

MBI Publishing, parent company of Motorbooks, has named Rich Freese president and CEO. Freese, who began at the St. Paul, Minn., publisher last week, had been senior v-p at National Book Network.

Motorbooks was acquired by an investment group in February, and chairman David Straden said Freese's appointment completes the company's management team. With its executive team in place, Motorbooks will move forward with an aggressive growth strategy. The company, which publishes about 200 titles annually, will up its output by expanding into areas related to its focus on cars, auto racing, motorcycles, railroads, boats, aircraft and military history. Motorbooks is also interested in making acquisitions that complement its core areas and will increase its offerings through its Web site, motorbooks.com.