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WHITE DIRECTORY PUBLISHER'S TIMELINE

  • 1968
    • Wilbur Lewis founded White Directory Publishers, Inc.
  • 1969
    • First Buffalo, NY directory printed (Yellow Pages only)
    • 15 Employees
  • 1970
    • First sequential numbering of spine for contest
  • 1972
    • First insert with coupons, in Buffalo directory.
  • 1975
    • Canadian insert section with coupons introduced.
  • 1976
    • Company joined NYPSA.
  • 1978
    • 10th Anniversary.
    • Introduced Red printing.
    • 28 Employees
  • 1987
    • White Directory of Pennsylvania, Inc. opens Erie, Pa. office.
    • New Niagara Falls, NY directory published for first time.
    • 50 Employees
  • 1988
    • 20th Anniversary.
    • Directories renamed The Talking Phone Book®.
    • “Talking Feature” added to directories.
    • Full residential and business white pages added.
    • Erie, Pa. directory published for first time.
    • 70 Employees
  • 1989
    • Association of Directory Publishers “Publisher of the Year”.
    • First Lockport, NY directory published.
    • White Directory of Rochester opens office.
  • 1990
    • Batavia, NY directory introduced.
    • Association of Directory Publishers “Top Achievement Award”
  • 1991
    • Jamestown, NY/Warren, PA directory is purchased from ITD Publishers.
  • 1992
    • First directory published for Rochester, NY.
  • 1993
    • 25th Anniversary
    • Telly Award winner.
    • White Directory of Canada opens office in Niagara Falls, Ont.
    • New directories introduced in St. Catharines, Ft. Erie, and Niagara Falls, Ont.
    • Directory published for the first time in Meadville, Pa.
  • 1994
    • Association of Directory Publishers “Publisher of the Year”.
    • Vanguard Entrepreneur Award winner.
    • Rotary Club Environmental Award
    • Telly Award winner.
    • White Directory of Florida, Inc purchases assets of The One Corp. in Pensacola.
  • 1995
    • White Directory of Carolina, Inc. purchases assets of Carolina Directory Co.
    • Greensboro, NC office opens.
    • Association of Directory Publishers “Lifetime Achievement Outstanding Service Award” – Wilbur Lewis.
    • Ft. Erie directory discontinued in Canada.
    • 250 Employees.
  • 1996
    • White Directory of Carolina, Inc. introduces Burlington-Alamance County, NC and Chapel Hill – Carrboro, NC directories.
    • White Directory of Florida, Inc opens Vero Beach office.
    • Talking Phone Book Web Site goes live.
    • Canisus College “WNY Family Business of the Year”.
  • 1997
    • Vero Beach, Florida directory introduced.
  • 1998
    • 30th Anniversary.
    • Association of Directory Publishers “Publisher of the Year”.
    • Ft. Walton Beach, Gulf Breeze and Panama City, Florida directories purchased from InfoAmerica.
    • White Directory of Florida, Inc. introduces Titusville directory.
    • Chapel Hill, NC directory is rescoped to include Durham, and new Winston-Salem directory is announced.
    • Wilmington, NC book is purchased from Community Directory Co.
  • 1999
    • ZIP Codes are added to yellow page listings.
    • White Directory Publishers buys ITD Publishers, acquiring books in Central, Southern Tier, Lakeshore, NY and McKean, Pa.
    • Florida adds directories in Cocoa Beach and Melbourne.
    • White Directory of Carolina, Inc moves into South Carolina announcing directories in Columbia, Greenville and Charleston.
    • Carolina also introduced two new books in North Carolina, Fayetteville and Greenville.
  • 2000
    • Alfred University gives Galanis Award for Excellence in Family Business
    • New Tallahassee directory added in Florida
    • Carolina announces Raleigh, North Carolina directory and adds new directories In Anderson and Spartanburg, South Carolina.
    • Telus, Ltd buys White Directory of Canada.
  • 2001
    • Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina introduced.
    • Titusville and Cocoa Beach re-scoped in one directory.
    • Awarded Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation “Diamond Achievement Award”.
    • 550 Employees
  • 2002
    • Lumberton, North Carolina directory introduced.
    • Collections for all books centralized in Buffalo.
    • Pleasure Island, Alabama directory introduced.
    • Free CD-ROM directories made available in 12 major areas.
    • Wilbur D. Lewis, founder and former Chairman of the Board of White Directory Publishers, Inc., dies. He was a three-time past president of Association of Directory Publishers.
  • 2003
    • White Directory of Virginia LLC purchases Suffolk County, VA directory from Command Affiliates.
    • White Directory of New England, Inc. buys directories in Portland and Biddeford/Saco Maine, from Maine Yellow Pages, Inc.
    • New England also purchases Insider Yellow Pages’ Portsmouth, Maine ,and Newburyport, Massachusetts directories.
    • Williamsburg and Peninsula, Virginia are introduced as new directories.
    • Carolina buys Rocky Mount (Tri-County) directory from Tarheel Publishing.
    • New directories in Florida, Jacksonville Beaches, Fernandina Beach, Destin and Jacksonville.
    • White Directory of Florida, Inc. also purchases Mobile and Baldwin County Alabama directories from BestTalk Publishers.
    • Additional areas get free CD-ROMs.
    • 700 Employees.
  • 2004
    • All directories now available on CD-ROM.
    • Pleasure Island directory merges with Baldwin County.
    • New England announces new directories in Nashua, Manchester, Lewiston and Brunswick/Bath, Maine.
    • Directories announced by Virginia in South Hampton Rds, Smithfield-Franklin and Gloucester.
    • Hearst Corp purchases White Directory Publishers, Inc. and its subsidiaries.
    • Management team to remain intact, known as White Directory Publishers Division of Hearst Holdings, Inc.
    • White to assume responsibility for Associated Directory Publishers in Texas, and its 11 directories.
  • 2005
    • Office opens in Albany, NY, with directories announced in New York for Albany, Saratoga Glens Falls and Hoosick Falls/Bennington, VT.
    • New Office and opened in Savannah, Georgia, with directories in Savannah-Hilton Head, and Brunswick/Sea Island.
    • New directories announced in Lowell, Massachusetts and Laconia, New Hampshire.
    • Company acquires MEGA Publishing, Inc. with directories in Gainesville, Ocala and Lake City, Florida.
    • 872 Employees.
  • 2006
    • New directories have been added in Florida. Panama City Beaches and Thomasville have announced with Panama City Beaches due in July, 2006, and Thomasville scheduled for Spring of 2007.
    • North and South Carolina will both be adding directories in the near future with the addition of both Goldsboro/Kinston and New Bern in North Carolina, and Berkeley County in South Carolina.
    • May of 2006 brought about a new acquisition. White Directory acquired 5 of the Big Book Directories in Brookville, Pennsylvania. Elk/Cameron County, Clarion/Venango County, Clearfield/Jefferson Counties, Armstrong County, and Juniata, Mifflin, and Perry Counties. We will continue to operate a location in Brookville and plan to co-brand the books the first time around.