Glacier Media Stock

Glacier Media Inc. operates as an information and marketing solutions company in Canada and the United States (U.S.).

Segments

The company operates through three segments: Environmental and Property Information, Commodity Information, and Community Media.

Environmental and Property Information

This segment includes the following:

Environmental Risk Information Services (ERIS), which provides environmental risk data and related products for commercial real estate properties across North America. This information is used by environmental consultants, CRE brokers, financial institutions and insurance companies to identify and assess environmental risks around commercial real estate transactions.

ERIS provides comprehensive environmental data and historical products that assess environmental risk for commercial and industrial properties throughout North America. Environmental Risk Information Service’s customer target markets are in Canada and the U.S. ERIS is a leading source of property information in both jurisdictions, meeting criteria set by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) and the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). ERIS has also collected data and aerial photos for Mexico and is aligned with affiliate organizations in the U.K., Australia, and Germany to extend its reach globally. ERIS has a U.S. office located in Austin, Texas, as well as a sales presence in ten key markets across the U.S.

Specialty Technical Publishers (STP or STP ComplianceEHS) produces technical resource guides in the areas of environmental health safety (EHS), transportation, risk management, and business practices in the United States; and has a full range of International Audit content. STP audit guides are designed specifically for corporate compliance and audit managers, professionals, and business leaders who need practical interpretation and application of rules and regulations. STP RegHub is a new service providing access to a continuously updated library of essential regulatory documents spanning information related to environmental, health, safety and transportation laws and regulations. STP also developed a full regulatory library of all 50 Code of Federal Regulations in the U.S., as well as all 50 states requirements in the EHS field.

STP provides weekly change monitoring to these regulations to their clients. STP ComplianceEHS produces digital audit guides and compliance tools for use in environmental health and safety audits. Multi-national companies license STP’s content for use throughout the United States and across more than forty countries worldwide. STP will be adding Canadian and Mexican regulatory content to provide a full North American delivery. STP is also in the process of adding Global monitoring to ensure yearly monitoring and compliance worldwide. Formats include a variety of interactive online subscription services for single or multiple users, as well as partnerships and integrations with many of the large Environmental Management Information Systems (EMIS). STP’s principal markets are in North America, with a particular focus on the United States.

REW is a residential real estate listings and property information marketplace in British Columbia and is expanding in Ontario and other parts of Canada. The REW marketplace provides consumers with key real estate information and insights (e.g. school catchment areas, assessed values, past sales prices) in order to make better informed decisions about their home. Agents, new home developers and third-party providers (e.g. mortgage brokers and home insurance companies) use a variety of REW advertising, lead generation and subscription products to market their offerings to home buyers and sellers.

REW (REW.ca) is a real estate listings and property information marketplace in Canada. REW covers a variety of residential home choices from both resale MLS listings and new home developments. Users can save their searches and receive property alerts when new listings match their search criteria. Users can also search for historical property information (B.C. only) and compare local real estate professionals and mortgage providers. REW’s principal markets are in Canada.

Distribution and Marketing

ERIS has distribution and marketing activities are carried out by a group. STP markets and delivers sophisticated online content through the creation of solid, consultative relationships with customers, strategic software technology partners (EMIS systems), and EHS integration consulting. It has also developed its own audit and compliance software tools, which allows subscribers to customize the STP content to manage their own requirements and so remain in compliance to ever changing regulations. REW covers all aspects of the real estate market through its comprehensive online source of real estate listings, property information and real estate professionals.

Intangible Properties

STP owns the intellectual property and copyright for all of its U.S., Canadian and International EHS publications providing STP the worldwide exclusive rights to market and sell its own updated content covering 50 countries and jurisdictions.

Commodity Information

Glacier FarmMedia (GFM) provides agricultural information. GFM serves the Canadian grower and agricultural industry with digital media, listings, publications, exhibitions and weather and commodities marketing subscriptions. Well-known brands operated by GFM include the Western Producer, Alberta Farmer Express, Manitoba Co-Operator, Country Guide, Farmtario, Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show, Ag In Motion, AgDealer, Global Auction Guide, MarketsFarm, METOS Canada, and Weather Innovations.

GFM includes Western Producer Publications, Glacier FarmMedia, Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show, Ag In Motion, Metos Canada, and Weather INnovations.

Western Producer Publications (WP or Western Producer) is Canada’s largest agricultural news and information organization. Its core product, The Western Producer, based in Saskatoon, is Western Canada’s largest weekly farm paper, delivering a comprehensive package of information to farmers. A number of important supplements and guides are produced by WP, including Sask Seed Guide, Canola & Pulse Crops Producer, New Seed Variety Guide and Saskatchewan Yield Guide. WP also operates the leading agricultural editorial website in Western Canada, www.producer.com.

Glacier FarmMedia, based in Winnipeg, is Canada's largest agricultural publisher with publications and online properties stretching from Alberta to Atlantic Canada. When it comes to engaging with Canadian farmers, GFM’s combination of editorial publications, new and used equipment listings and niche market titles make it a preferred choice for both readers and advertisers. GFM operates over 25 brands, including Manitoba Co-operator, Le Bulletin des Agriculteurs, Grainews and Canadian Cattlemen.

Other Glacier FarmMedia Products

The Glacier FarmMedia online network (www.agcanada.com) is Canada’s leading digital agricultural information and news source. The network is consisted of and supported by web properties, mobile apps and electronic newsletters associated with GFM’s 18 publications. It offers segmentation by geography, demographics, soil zone and language (English/French).

AgDealer (AGD), Agricole Ideal in Quebec, the most comprehensive new and used equipment online and print resource available for the agricultural market. AGD publishes provincial editions biweekly in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario along with a fully French monthly edition, Agricole Ideal, in Quebec, and a monthly edition in Atlantic Canada. Listings on AGD are from used farm equipment dealerships and equipment manufacturers looking to sell products to Canadian farmers.

Global Auction Guide (GlobalAuctionGuide.com) is an online resource for customers looking to purchase items at auction across North America. Global Auction Guide includes the site www.farmauctionguide.com, which focuses exclusively on farm and farm-related auction sales.

MarketsFarm is a premium subscription product that provides markets information services (business intelligence) to farmers and enterprises. A specialized editorial team, composed of recognized and respected markets analysts and journalists, creates daily news, commodities updates, analysis and recommendations. The information services are delivered through different digital channels (eNewsletter, SMS, websites, and live expert presentations). MarketsFarm provides key information to producers, or enterprises, to make better business and operational decisions on their farms.

Metos Canada is a provider of Internet of Things (IoT)-based solutions to capture and interpret weather and specific information from farmers’ fields every few minutes. This information is accessible through the farmer’s mobile and desktop devices. Metos Canada offerings span a variety of wireless sensors and devices for applications that include remote field monitoring, weather monitoring and forecasting, water management, disease modeling, insect monitoring and nutrition management. The data from the network of stations will be the basis for new products in the future.

Agriculture Shows

Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show (COFS) takes place in Woodstock, Ontario, every September and attracts farm delegates and innovative agricultural technology exhibitors (seed, crop protection and equipment technology) globally. It is also a showcase for leading-edge research by both the private sector and post-secondary community. It is Canada’s largest outdoor agricultural exposition and also the fourth largest in North America with over 750 exhibitors and over 40,000 attendees each year. In 2020, the event was held virtually. As a business-to-business gathering dedicated solely to agricultural products, equipment and services, COFS delivers agricultural advancements that help Canadian farmers, and their agribusiness partners continue to produce high-quality and safe food competitively.

Ag in Motion (AIM) focusing primarily on Western Canadian dryland agriculture practices and technologies, complements COFS in Eastern Canada. AIM attracts over 450 exhibitors and over 30,000 attendees from across Canada and the northern United States. Set on 640 acres just north of Saskatoon, AIM’s competitive advantage is field-based demonstrations for everything from seed technology to equipment offerings. In 2020, the event was held virtually.

Farm Forum Event (FFE) has a 20-year history as an annual event providing high quality crop production learning for Western Canadian farmers, agronomists and crop advisors. In 2020, the event was held virtually.

Weather Innovations Consulting (WIN)

WIN specializes in turnkey monitoring and research modeling solutions for agri-businesses, producer organizations, government agencies, researchers and others. WIN is also involved with sensor manufacturing, equipment distribution, applied research and related services. WIN creates monitoring and reporting programs for producer organizations, agencies, and growers of specific commodities. WIN produces programs for a broad range of field-based pests (insects, weeks, and disease), as well as frost mitigation, soil moisture management, harvest timing, crop insurance, research, marketing and consulting requirements. WIN provides weather-based monitoring and modelling solutions across Canada and globally through its online presence. WIN also provides its services in Europe.

Glacier Resource Innovation Group

Glacier Resource Innovation Group (RIG), a global information and technology company, focuses on building products and solutions for mining, exploration and mining service providers, as well as investors and the general public with an interest in mining or mineral exploration. It connects decision makers to a dynamic network of data and people – accurately delivering information on business and finance, news, education, professional development and technology to customers around the world. Increasingly through its intelligence practice, it is offering clients high-value data and analysis services. RIG serves the mining industry, associated suppliers and the financial industry with a wide variety of intelligence offerings. With significant operations in Vancouver and Toronto, RIG produces databases, conferences, digital media and e-learning programs for the mining sector. It holds the mining and exploration industry’s leading media brands, such as The Northern Miner (TMN), Canadian Mining Journal, and MINING.com, all of which offer multi-media delivery of news and insights, as well as virtual and physical events and all of which actively promote its other data and talent building solutions; and CostMine, MiningIntelligence, edumine, and the Global Mining Symposium.

Distribution and Marketing

RIG operates online, print and live distribution channels with three primary offerings, including Media, such as online, magazines, conferences, research and online resources; E-Talent Solutions, which is an on-line HR platform, which includes Careermine, the largest dedicated job board to the mining industry worldwide, as well as edumine, the world’s leading provider of training and education to the mining industry; and Data Solutions that includes CostMine and Mining Intelligence data curators providing company and property data applications, cost estimating guides and software, and labour compensations reports.

Competition

WIN competes with other companies that provide weather-based solutions to businesses. These include companies like IBM, Farmer’s Edge, BASF, Bayer Crop Science, and Nutrien, among others.

Community Media

The company’s Community Media Digital Group is one of Canada’s largest Digital News Networks and also one of the largest Digital Agencies on the West Coast of Canada. Glacier Media Digital (GMD)’s product offering includes local news, general community information and classifieds websites; digital marketing services; and specialty products and services, as well as website design, social media management programmatic advertising solutions, content marketing solutions, and brand videos.

The Digital Group offers Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM), which improves customer website visibility, including web rank by optimizing page tags, onsite content, and link building opportunities. Programmatic Display allows customers to finely target qualified audiences based on their purchase intent and serve ad impressions only to a specific audience segment. GMD also offers highly unique and powerful Chinese digital marketing services to a wide array of customers, which is experiencing strong growth with large market opportunity. GMD has a portfolio configured for desktop, mobile and tablet viewing, optimized to captivate and engage target audiences. GMD brands include Castanet Media, Vancouver Is Awesome, a partial interest in Village Media, Eastward Media (targeting the Asian market), Local News Network, and many others. GMD’s product suite spans all demographics and media channels reaching over 27 million monthly unique visitors with over 180 million monthly page views through its Local News Network, which encompasses Glacier Digital websites, Castanet websites, Village Media websites and network partners. The company’s strategy is to build a standalone digital local media business with leading market positions in British Columbia and other Western Canadian markets.

Castanet, a digital only media business and leading source of news and information in the Okanagan region of B.C. (Kelowna, Kamloops, Penticton and Vernon), with more than 54 million monthly page views.

Village Media, a digital only news and information business that operates eight of its own local websites in Ontario; and operates websites for other media companies. It generates 60 million monthly page views across its network; and licenses its own proprietary community website platform software.

Local News Network is one of the largest digital news network in Canada as measured by page views. The company’s websites generated 94 million monthly page views in B.C. alone, making it the leading provider of local news and information in the Province.

The company’s digital operations and network, including network partners (the Local News Network), reaches over 27 million monthly unique visitors with over 180 million monthly page views.

The company is expanding its offerings of digital products and marketing services to attract more local audience and provide the content its readers desire; and fulfill its clients’ marketing needs, which are becoming more comprehensive and complex. The company is continuing to publish newspapers as they still provide value to readers and advertisers, content, and sales resources that can be shared with its digital products, and cash flow. The sharing of these resources and the cash flow generated are assisting with the transformation to local digital media operations.

The Community Media newspaper group operations reach over 2 million readers in print in over 60 local markets in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. The group also owns partial interests in the U.S. Its brands include the Victoria Times-Colonist, North Shore News, Tri-Cities News, Burnaby Now, Richmond News, Prince George Citizen, St. Albert Gazette, Estevan Mercury, Yorkton This Week and many others. The company’s Community Media Digital operations include local news, classifieds and general community information websites; digital marketing services; and specialty products and services. The Community Media newspaper operations publish and print community and daily newspapers, related publications, websites and digital offerings, which are the primary source of information for the communities they serve. The weekly and daily publications extend the company’s reach into the local and regional diversified advertising and reader markets. In Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba these newspapers complement the company’s agriculture publications, which also has a strong presence in these markets. The company’s publications include paid circulation products and controlled distribution products, as well as total market coverage products. Each publication has an associated online property providing additional channels for the primary community information. The digital offerings are enhanced by leveraging the strong brands, community presence and local sales forces.

Distribution and Marketing

The Community Media Group distributes information in both print and digital formats, and provides products and event marketing services to local and niche markets. The Community Media Group most training and business plans focus on the digital space. New and existing clients still use print, however, more are moving their marketing and sales efforts into the digital channel.

Business in Vancouver (BIV) distributes and markets through both print and digital products. BIV is the only business news in the British Columbia market delivered weekly in print and hourly online. BIV focuses delivery through paid subscriptions and partnership databases.

Seasonality

The Community Media Group’s print publishing business is subject to seasonal variations in revenue and profit. Advertising and subscription revenues tend to be stronger in the spring and late fall due to the patterns of advertising followed by both national and local retail advertisers. Digital revenue is less subject to seasonality.

History

The company was founded in 1988. It was incorporated under the British Columbia Company Act in 1988. The company was formerly known as Glacier Ventures International Corp. and changed its name to Glacier Media Inc. in 2008.