Page 18 - EDM Today Winter 2025

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we took the plunge and never looked back. After the sale,
of EDM Today. The fi nancial crisis began in 2008, and
Jack’s health deteriorated.
Jack taught this young toolmaker/engineer many of the
EDM tricks I still fi nd useful today.
The fi nancial crisis led to a substantial economic
My next encounter with Jack came when I was research-
contraction which meant that advertising revenue for
ing improvements in EDM tooling, and I encountered
the magazine was drying up.
Jack as head of System 3R USA. He convinced me of
At the same time, Jack was unable to contribute to or
the benefi ts of the 20mm system, which I subsequently
adopted throughout our shop.
magazine’s raison d’etre.
In the late seventies, I had founded Kern EDM Supplies
These two circumstances fed upon each other to such
and, based upon my positive shop experiences with the arrange for the fresh technical content that was the
an extent that the fi nal published July/August 2009
3R tooling, I approached Jack and became an authorized
Needless to say, Jack and I had a long history! EDM Today Magazine
EDM Today Magazine period of painful decline, even former supporters of the
EDM Today Magazine
issue was only 24 pages long and contained only two
System 3R distributor.
articles, one of them being my Tech Tips feature. In that
As my EDM supply business grew, I was looking for
effective national marketing opportunities and began
magazine cruelly began labeling it as “EDM Yesterday.”
advertising in Jack’s new venture, EDM Today.
As I understand it, one additional issue was produced,
but never published, as there were no funds to pay for
Finally, when my EDM supply business began its
printing and postage, which combined can cost in the
Northeast EDM Conference series, which morphed
neighborhood of $20,000.
into the nation’s largest annual EDM convocation, Jack
volunteered to be the moderator of one of the many
EDM Today was dead.
conference forums.
The Time Out Has Expired THE RENAISSANCE
In late 2019, Ramesh Malhotra got wind of the fact
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that the owners of EDM Today were trying to sell the
assets of what remained of EDM Today. In fact, they
Of course, I was an avid reader of EDM Today from its
had been approached by a machine tool builder who
inception, and as a regular advertiser, I came in regular
basically wanted to purchase the magazine solely for
contact with the EDM Today team: Jack, Kathy and San-
its mailing list.
dy. In late 2005, I entered into discussions with the EDM
Today team and offered to contribute an ongoing series
I then got a fateful call from Ramesh, informing me of
of technical articles to supplement the articles written
the situation regarding EDM Today and asking me if
by Bud Guitrau. Thus, the Tech Tips series was born and
I’d like to partner with him in buying it. As neither of us
fi rst appeared in the Jan/Feb 2006 issue. Who would
have predicted that this fl edgling attempt at technical
disappear, we decided to explore that possibility. I was
journalism would eventually transform this toolmaker/
empowered by Ramesh to negotiate with the owners.
engineer into a magazine editor and publisher. wanted to see this valuable asset to the EDM community
After a painful negotiation (picking through the ashes
of a beloved and formerly thriving enterprise is heart
EDM Today Magazine EDM Today Magazine EDM Today Magazine
wrenching), a deal was struck.
Another EDM Today Time Out is Called
A new LLC was formed with Ramesh as a silent part-
In 1997, I sold all of my businesses (tool
ner and me as the managing partner of a substantially
& die shop, EDM supplies distributor and
trimmed down enterprise. The economic realities of
machine tool dealership) to Ramesh Mal-
the time were that there wasn’t enough advertising to
hotra and went to work for him managing
support a semi-monthly publication and that I couldn’t
these enterprises. Ramesh had numer-
create the necessary technical content for a semi-
ous businesses ranging from coal broker-
monthly publication. Thus, the decision was made
age to manufacturing to real estate. Let’s
just say that Ramesh was, and still is, a successful serial
In addition, we also determined that the Annual Buyers
entrepreneur.
Guide would no longer be offered.
In 2008, having noticed my nascent editorial involvement that EDM Today would become a quarterly publication.
The basic business plan was that, for the fi rst year,
with EDM Today, Ramesh came to me and asked me if I
I could devote one day per week of my employment
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would be interested in managing EDM Today if he bought
with Ramesh’s company to magazine duties and that I
it. I said I would, and we journeyed to New Jersey to meet
would work for no magazine salary, devoting nights and
with the EDM Today team to discuss Ramesh’s idea for
weekends to the publication as its editor, technical writer,
an acquisition.
business manager and publisher. We retained Sandy
Again, to make a long story short, let me just say that
Montalbano as a part-time graphic artist and marketing
manager. Thus, EDM Today basically became a labor of
the stars were not properly aligned, and the discussions
love rather than a source of income or profi t. And, as is
ended amicably without a deal.
common with any new startup, in addition to the cash
The Time Out Has Expired
investment by the partners, personal assets had to be
So, like in the magazine’s original beginning, we were
THE END BEFORE THE RENAISSANCE
faced with the prospect of “selling air” to advertisers
In the time after that meeting, two circumstances con- pledged to key suppliers such as our printer.
still struggling with a bad economy and mindful of the
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EDM Today Magazine
spired to form conditions that would lead to the demise
magazine’s recent demise. In addition, since I was still
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