Cuts at Edgell?

According to an anonymous comment to a post on Paul Conley's blog, Edgell Communications—the Randolph, New Jersey-based b-to-b publisher (Hospitality Technology, Consumer Goods Technology, etc.)—laid off six staffers last week. (A follow-up comment said that all six were women.)

Conley wrote that he'd "be looking for coverage in FOLIO:."

I left messages for Edgell's chairman and CEO Gabriele Edgell, COO Dan Ligorner and president Gerry Ryerson late last week seeking comment, as well as sent e-mails to a bunch of staffers listed on their contact page.

Here's one of my follow-up e-mails, followed by Ryerson's response:

From: Dylan Stableford
Sent: Tuesday, May 20, 2008 4:50 PM
To: Gerry Ryerson
Subject: folio: inquiry

Hi Gerry:

Just left you a message. We received a tip that there were some layoffs at Edgell last week. Is this true? Can you confirm? If so, how many, who were they and why were they let go?

Thanks,

Dylan
:::
dylan stableford
senior editor, digital
folio: | red7media
o 203.899.8481 [direct line]
c 203.727.1367
:::
From: Gerry Ryerson
Sent: Tuesday, May 20, 2008 5:11 PM
To: Dylan Stableford
Cc: Tony Silber; Dan Ligorner; Gabriele Edgell
Subject: RE: folio: inquiry

Dylan,
We don’t have any information we’d like to share about our company right now. If we had a comment Gabriele, Dan or I would have returned your calls. I’d also appreciate you not continuing to contact everyone on our mastheads as its just a distraction to our business.
Gerry

Gerald C. Ryerson
President
Edgell Communications
4 Middlebury Blvd.
Randolph, NJ 07869

P REDACTED
F REDACTED
C REDACTED

I won't. However, if anyone has additional information, feel free to contact me directly [dstableford AT red7media DOT com or 203.899.8481] or leave a comment in the comments section below.

RELATED LINKS

More Layoffs in B2B: Edgell Makes Cuts [Paul Conley's Blog]

By Dylan Stableford --

Post Comment / Discuss This Blog - Info/Rules

Media executives who don't understand media

Submitted by Paul Conley on Thu, 05/22/2008 - 09:19.

So let's get this straight....the president of a company that is in the business of providing news and information to a B2B audience thinks that it's a "distraction" when another B2B company (Folio) tries to obtain news and information for a B2B audience. Here's hoping that every executive in the industries that Edgell claims to cover feels the same way. In fact, why don't all of us in B2B journalism just stop calling sources, stop trying to gather information and stop distracting very important people from making the sorts of business decisions that three years ago a Folio reader predicted would be a disaster: http://www.foliochannels.com/viewmedia.asp?prmMID=5020&prmID=122

Sensational Journalism vs. Serious Journalism

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 05/23/2008 - 17:26.

This Blog is clearly just trying to get a rise out of its audience. No value came from the content of this Blog. Gossip...is that how folio intends on building traffic to the site.

No value?

Submitted by Paul Conley on Sat, 05/24/2008 - 12:05.

Anonymous, That may be the silliest thing anyone has ever said in any comment to a blog post anywhere on the Web. No value? What are you talking about? The very core of B2B journalism is news and information about the state of the businesses within an industry. Folio covers the publishing industry. And in this very brief post Dylan has managed to share two pieces of valuable information about a publishing company: 1. Edgell is laying off staff. That could be a result of economic conditions. It could be a result of conditions at Edgell. It could be because the senior management at Edgell doesn't have a clue. We don't know the reason for the layoffs because senior management is unwilling to speak to the press. 2. The president of Edgell doesn't know how to handle the press. More importantly, he seems to think that the B2B press itself is a distraction and an inconvenience. That's a shocking bit of information about a guy who runs a B2B media company. Both of these things are worth knowing if you're an investor or banker in B2B, an employee of Edgell or a potential employee, a consultant or vendor in the B2B space, or just about any other reader of Folio. Interestingly, we also learned a fair amount from your comment. For example, we know that you don't understand basic English. We know that you use uppercase when you should use lowercase. We know that you use lowercase when you should you use uppercase. We know that you don't know to end a question with a question mark.

Thank you, Paul. The story is even bigger than you think.

Submitted by Anonymous on Sun, 05/25/2008 - 09:55.

The next time Edgell trys to show off and sends Folio a press release about hiring a new hotshot, or expanding it's inventory of publications, I hope Folio will answer them in the same manner that their president answered Dylan,. . . drop dead! This story is just beginning and Ryerson better learn real quick how to deal with the press.

Email me off the board, please

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 05/27/2008 - 19:43.

Dylan -- I tried emailing you, but your address did not work. Please email me off the board if you are interested in more information.

re: Email me off the board, please

Submitted by Dylan Stableford on Tue, 05/27/2008 - 20:12.

That's weird. Remember, phones work too. 203.899.8481. That's my direct line. No secretaries or automated menus. And I have a pleasant voice, so I'm told.

Realities

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 06/04/2008 - 10:01.

Paul Conley was spot on about this company. If Folio decided to look under the covers a bit further, they would find that ad pages and event sponsorships in most Edgell pubs are way down. Word on the street was that this company was on the block last year but had to pull itelf off the market when revenues started to slide. If you look back a few years, Edgell's executives were more than willing to talk to the press when they were touting their growth. Now that revenue is down and times are tough, it is not surprising that they are tucking their head in the sand.

Not suprising

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 06/18/2008 - 22:21.

Everyone here is right on the money. Edgell executives have long through that Print was the only way to go and that sales reps were a necessary evil. Now you can see that their arrogance is catching up with them.

President won't comment—tips welcomed.

RELATED LINKS

Latest Featured Jobs

UPCOMING WEBINARS

RECENT WEBINARS

WHAT'S HOT