On March 6, Lessiter Publications celebrated 25 years of success as a niche publisher of specialized trade information. Key among the company’s portfolio is American Farriers Journal and the International Hoof-Care Summit.

In 1981, Frank and Pam Lessiter purchased two publications and a trade show from a firm where Frank had worked for 9 years. Starting a business at arguably the most difficult time in a generation or more, the husband-and-wife team hung out their shingle with a firm, guiding principle: Success was going to be measured by one element — their ability to lend sustaining value by delivering information and knowledge that readers could immediately put to use to better their lot in life.

Having grown to a 17-member staff today, the company is deeply involved in meeting the informational needs of readers in several small, yet highly specialized markets. Currently, the firm produces four four-color magazines, four paid subscription newsletters, two annual conferences (including the recent third annual International Hoof-Care Summit), professional-topic libraries (consisting of books, DVDs and special reports) and five interactive Web sites. The firm’s customer community includes dedicated knowledge-seeking professionals from every region of the globe.

“Our key has been listening closely to the wants and needs of subscribers and then delivering the ideas and solutions that they need,” says Lessiter. “We only serve niche markets, where there is a tremendous demand for timely, relevant information that readers need to improve their business and profession. Our goal is to provide the ‘meat-and-potatoes’ information that makes…