By Bill Bregar
SENIOR STAFF REPORTER
Published: June 26, 2014 12:41 pm ET
Updated: June 26, 2014 12:51 pm ET
J.A. Lewellen
A group of former Plastics News staffers is launching an employee-owned trade publication, Plastics Machinery Magazine, set to begin publishing later this year.
The initial announcement was made June 26 by Bill Carteaux, CEO of the Society of the Plastics Industry Inc. SPI member companies will receive discounted ad rates in the magazine.
Plastics Machinery Magazine will debut in print and digital format in November, then begin regular monthly circulation in January. It will be published by Peninsula Publishing LLC, a new Ohio-based publishing company.
The editorial focus of the magazine will be on primary, auxiliary, tooling systems and other manufacturing equipment technologies.
J.A Lewellen is the president of Peninsula Publishing. He has resigned from his position as SPI’s membership sales director. Before joining SPI in Washington, Lewellen wasPlastics News’ advertising director.
Anthony J. Eagan, former Plastics Newspublisher, is coming back from retirement to become publisher of the new magazine. Eagan stepped down from Plastics News when Crain Communications Inc. moved the newspaper from Akron, Ohio, to Detroit last year.
T. Peter Sullivan, who helped launch Injection Molding Magazine and previously led Plastics Machinery & Equipment, is a co-owner of Peninsula Publishing, and an adviser.
Other former Plastics News staffers also are involved: Ron Shinn will serve as editorial director. Angie DeRosa joins as managing editor, working closely with Lisa Sarkis and Marvin Brown to design and edit the publication.
The sales team includes Mark Malloy and Jeff Williams, who had sold advertising for Plastics News. Malloy will be business development and marketing director. Williams will represent Plastics Machinery Magazine in the New England States. Glenn Glasberg is the audience development consultant.
Carteaux said in a news release that the U.S. plastics machinery and auxiliary equipment industry is a nearly $2 billion market, and the new magazine “will help fill the need for more information” on this sector, “especially as we approach NPE 2015.”
PMM highlighted the plastics publishing experience of its staff, saying it has a combined 250 years of experience in the plastics industry. | 
