CROSSVILLE, Tenn., Dec. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — TAP Publishing Company, located in Crossville, Tennessee has changed its name to The Cosby Harrison Company.
“This new name pays tribute to our founder and my grandfather, Cosby Harrison, and what he stood for: hard work, innovation, problem–solving and exemplary customer service,” says Steve Stone, Executive Vice President. “It also shows that after 80 years in business, we are so much more than publishing.”
The Cosby Harrison Company traces its origin back to humble beginnings in 1937, with the launch of its flagship aviation publication, Trade-A-Plane.
Cosby Harrison borrowed money to purchase a home-built airplane kit. After crashing his plane, he was unable to find repair parts. So Harrison and his wife, Margaret, put together a one-page, buy/sell flyer on their kitchen table to help other aviators find parts for their airplanes. Eighty-one years later, Trade-A-Plane is still serving as a marketplace for general aviation buyers and sellers.
Harrison needed to sell the surplus equipment he used in a large construction project and in 1950, Rock & Dirt was born. Then in 1983, the company purchased a struggling oil and gas publication which became Tradequip International. In addition to printing a Spanish version of Rock & Dirt called Rock & Dirt en Español, CHC operates a web-only marketplace, NextTruckOnline.com, an online weather service called weatherTAP and offers digital signage solutions. Last year, CHC purchased SignSmith, a local business, and now has a storefront that offers commercial signage, vehicle wraps, and promotional items.
Many of Harrison’s direct descendants serve on the board as directors. In addition to his grandson, his great–grandson is the new acting CEO and his great-granddaughter is on the Executive Leadership Team which in charge of the day-to-day operations.
“Although our name has changed, our commitment to our customers, their industries and this community remain the same,” Stone said.
The company recently expanded into more marketing venues with the purchase of BlueView, a digital marketing agency in Tulsa, Okla. They now offer search engine optimization, social media and email campaigns, trade show booth design, video production and much more.
“We often wonder what Cosby would think about how much this company has evolved.” Stone continues, “We hope that we would have made him proud.”
SOURCE The Cosby Harrison Company