Iowa Press Benefiting as Blackwell Publishing

On January 1, 80-year-old Iowa State Press officially changed its name to Blackwell Publishing Professional, three-and-a-half years after being acquired by the Oxford, England–based publisher Blackwell. The change furthered the successful integration of the university press and the professional house.

Looking back at the purchase, Bray Brockbank, Blackwell Publishing Professional's marketing director, observed: "Blackwell wanted to increase representation of certain product lines within the United States, especially agricultural and veterinary science titles. They had worked with us for years, as we had been their U.S. distributor for veterinary titles since 1995. They knew our books. They saw merging with Iowa State Press as the perfect strategic fit."

Since the merger, sales at Blackwell Publishing Professional have increased 38%, said Brenda O'Neall-Smith, Blackwell Publishing Professional's operations director and CFO, and she predicted a 10%–12% per annum increase in sales in the next year or two. "We're looking at a good sales growth, though it's hard to tell if it's because of the growth of the entire company. We are recognized more fully as a global operation because of the name change, though," she told PW.

Before being acquired by Blackwell, the press was affiliated with Iowa State University in Ames. It published titles in veterinary medicine, agriculture, animal science, aviation and journalism. Since being purchased, the press has added new lines in dentistry, aquaculture, food science and applied chemistry. It publishes 60 titles per year and has 35 employees in its Ames office.

Its parent company publishes a total of 700 professional journals and approximately 650 text and reference books each year for the academic market. Net sales for 2003 were $310 million.