Crain Communications Expands Operations To Mexico.

Crain Communications Inc. has made its first expansion into Latin America with the acquisition of three business publications in Mexico.

Included in the acquisition are the weekly El Asesor de Mexico and the bi- weekly El Asesor de Monterrey, regional business publications covering the local business communities in Mexico City and Monterrey. The two tabloids will join the group of four successful regional business publications operated by Crain.

The third acquisition is Internet Velocidad, a glossy bi-monthly magazine that covers Mexico’s growing Internet industry. The three publications were formerly owned by Editorial Urbano. The Spanish language publications are the first Crain-owned products not in English.

Joe Cappo, Crain Communications’ senior vice president-international, will also serve as president of the Mexican subsidiary that will operate the publications. He has spent more than 30 years as a business journalist and columnist, and has served as a publisher and group publisher during his 22 years at Crain. Gerard Delaney, an American who has lived in Mexico for several years, will continue as director general of the publications. He was previously a founder and director general of ServiAlimentos Publishing Co., based in Mexico City.

“This is a fabulous time for us to move into Mexico,” Cappo remarked. “That country is entering a new era of political reformation and economic advancement and we are eager to be a part of it. This also will give us an opportunity to look for future growth opportunities throughout Latin America.”

Crain has established itself in Latin America over the past 10 years primarily through the licensing of its U.S. publications to publishers in the region. It has a total of nine licenses in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic.