History
Stemming from experience garnered in the 1980s with the publication of a video magazine for a major Western Canadian video store chain, Tom and Rob Suggitt laid the foundation for Suggitt in 1991 when they partnered with Total Sound and Top 40 music stores to produce the magazine, Top 40 Focus. This glossy magazine featured music reviews, contests, and interviews with musicians such as Bryan Adams, Bon Jovi, Garth Brooks, and Shania Twain.
In 1993, Rob and Tom brought Christine Kucher on board as a designer. Shortly thereafter, due in no small part to her prodigious talents as a visual and graphic artist, the brothers made her a partner. To this day, Christine oversees our designers as the company’s Art Director.
The mid-90s presented a time of significant growth. We went on to publish consumer magazines for Jumbo Video, Smithbooks, Coles and Chapters, including The Readers Showcase which was part of Chapters' Avid Reader program, with over 400,000 copies of the magazine distributed across Canada (via mail, direct mail, and in-store copies) on a bi-monthly basis.
In 1995, Playhouse Publications was formed. Playhouse Publications publishes magazines and programs for the arts community, including the Citadel Theatre, Arden Theatre, Fringe Theatre Adventures, Edmonton Opera and Calgary Opera. In addition, Playhouse publishes hockey magazines for Edmonton and Calgary. In Edmonton, the magazine is published in partnership with the Edmonton Minor Hockey Association.
In 1995, we launched The Hospital Activity Book for Children Ltd (HABFC), an activity book which is now provided to sick and injured children across Canada. In 2005, we introduced Drugs and Addiction Magazine Ltd, a magazine which is distributed to schools, counseling agencies, and various institutions across Canada. Most recently, The Hospital Activity Book for Children became a Platinum Partner with Make-A-Wish Canada, with a minimum commitment to provide $500,000.00 to this important cause over the next five years. Locally, the Hospital Activity Book for Children is a proud supporter of the Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation, and in Ontario, a proud supporter of the Sick Kids Foundation.
In 2001, we acquired the Canadian rights to the hugely successful American real estate publication, Homes and Land. Shortly thereafter, Homes and Land of Canada Corporation (HLCC) was born. After launching magazines in the Edmonton and Calgary markets in 2001 and 2002, an additional 21 franchises were launched across Canada over the next ten years, including magazines in Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. In late 2012, Homes & Land Canada was sold, at a time when the magazine was the most significant real estate publication in Canada!
In 2007, we expanded our operations, and established an office in St. John's, Newfoundland. Led by Melanie Smith, we are proud of our St. John's office, and more specifically, the wonderful people who work there. Their contributions to Drugs & Addiction Magazine, and The Hospital Activity Book For Children, are substantial and meaningful in all ways.
In the end, while it was the effort of a small group of individuals that got Suggitt and its affiliates going, our foundation and our most important assets are the people that we surround ourselves with - this dedicated group of people who pick up the phones, receive the orders, distribute the magazines, handle administrative tasks, balance the books, design the ads, and serve the customers daily are the ones that truly make us a successful and tight knit business family.