A History Of Opportunity

When Tom Phillips seized the opportunity to launch Phillips Publishing in 1974 with a $1, 000 investment, he was confident the new company would be a success. After all, he had experience in newsletter publishing and a dedication to improving the lives of his customers with the information and solutions he provided through his publications. But Tom never dreamed that his new publishing enterprise would achieve the success that it has over the years.

On January 1, 1974, Tom Phillips founded Phillips Publishing in the converted garage of his home in Chevy Chase, Md., with three employees and two newsletters. Today, the company employs more than 500 employees.

Tom Phillips began Phillips Publishing with a vision: to provide specialized information in an age of specialization. While most of the world was running in the direction of mass media, Tom Phillips realized that people were drowning in information but starved for knowledge. Thats why he established the company as a newsletter business, because newsletters are an ideal medium to provide people with focused actionable information and solutions to improve their lives. That was a smart move because over the past quarter century the company has become the largest newsletter publisher in the world, as well as a major diversified information provider through its broad array of print and electronic products and Internet initiatives.

Through Tom Phillips vision and leadership, the company has focused on dynamic, fast-growing markets where there is a constant need for information, insight and analysis. Phillips strives to be the number one provider of information and advice in the consumer health and investment marketplaces it serves. In the early 90s, Phillips launched a thriving vitamin and nutritional supplement business.

The holding company, Phillips Publishing International, Inc., was created in July 1991. The following year, the original Phillips Publishing, Inc., was reorganized into two separate subsidiaries: Phillips Publishing, Inc., which provides consumers with solutions to improve their health, wealth and careers; and Phillips Business Information, Inc., which offers market-focused communication solutions for business-to-business customers.

In September 1991, the company acquired Hart Publications, Inc., one of the premier publishers in the worldwide oil and gas industry. In October 1998, Hart Publications, Inc. was integrated into Phillips Business Information, Inc. (PBI) to create a unified business-to-business publishing powerhouse.

In January 1993, Phillips launched Eagle Publishing, Inc., the only full-service provider of public-policy publications with a conservative, free-enterprise focus. Due to the unique nature of the political marketplace and the different product lines it offers, Eagle became an independent company, separate from Phillips International, Inc., in the summer of 1999. In the fall of 1993, Tom Phillips brought the whole Phillips team ...