Waterways Journal Acquires IDR
On August 12 St. Louis-based publishing company The Waterways Journal Inc. acquired the assets of Little Horse Enterprises Inc. which includes the bi-monthly magazine International Dredging Review (IDR) an annual directory for the worldwide dredging industry and a Web site www.dredgemag.com. That day H. Nelson Spencer owner of The Waterways Journal and Judith Powers owner of Little Horse Enterprises signed documents in their respective offices in St. Louis and Fort Collins Colorado effecting the transfer of ownership.
“I had been running the company as well as writing and editing the magazine for 28 years” said Powers who continues as editor as an employee of The Waterways Journal. “It was time for a company with a wider business capability to take over the operation. This way I can concentrate on covering and writing industry news. Running the business was starting to dominate my work days.”
“I recently saw a copy of The Waterways Journal in the break room of the hopper dredge B.E. Lindholm on the East Coast” said Powers. “Everybody in the marine world in the U.S. is familiar with The Waterways Journal and all have good things to say about the company and the owners. The Waterways Journal was my first pick as a new home for IDR and the dredging industry is fortunate that they are taking it on.”
The Waterways Journal founded in 1887 in St. Louis is a well-established family run business serving the inland and gulf intracoastal waterways. The flagship of the company is The Waterways Journal a weekly trade publication for the inland barge industry. Published for over 122 years the trade pub is extremely loyal to its readership and the industry it serves and in return has garnered widespread support from its readers and advertisers. The company also publishes a magazine for recreational boating in the Midwest and South titled Heartland Boating as well as related directories and books.
“The Waterways Journal prides itself on serving our customers well and fighting for their needs” said publisher H. Nelson Spencer. “IDR is a good fit for us because dredgers share a lot of the same needs as inland navigation including common sense legislation proper public funding industry cohesiveness and better public outreach. IDR will be a powerful proponent on all issues important to its readers and advertisers. Fortunately we don’t have very far to go as Judith has done an outstanding job of nurturing the magazine for the past 28 years and building quality relationships along the way. She is very well respected in the dredging community and we are very happy and fortunate to have her join us.”
Powers has agreed to continue working from her Fort Collins office while the management advertising circulation production and web site management of IDR will be absorbed by the Waterways Journal staff in their offices overlooking the Mississippi River and Memorial Arch.
Nelson Spencer Jr. and Jason Koenig will manage advertising sales Pat Platter will handle subscriptions Kim Waterhouse will do layout and production and Marie Rausch will manage the web site www.dredgemag.com.
In addition staff writers and columnists from The Waterways Journal will contribute to IDR and Powers will in turn write for The Waterways Journal.
Further Background on IDR
IDR made its debut at the 1981 WEDA annual meeting in Nashville where Powers distributed Volume 1 Number 1 – October 1981. Operating from month to month for the first few years and publishing whenever sufficient advertising was accumulated she built the magazine into an internationally respected news vehicle for the dredging industry. Through the years she established a comprehensive Annual Directory for the industry as well as a web site that presents current happenings and archives of past articles.
A firm supporter of the World Organization of Dredging Associations (WODA) and its subsidiary organizations the Western Dredging Association (WEDA) the Central Dredging Association (CEDA) the Eastern Dredging Association (EADA) and the China Dredging Association (CHIDA) Powers has attended or published reports on meetings and events of all these organizations. Other focuses of the magazine are aggregate dredging and hydrographic surveying and IDR has been and will continue to be active in supporting activities in those areas as well.
Recently Powers was given the prestigious “Dredger of the Year” award by WEDA.
