In 1907, J.W. Watt came to the United States from the Orkney Islands, north of Scotland, looking for printing jobs and eventually settled on one in Hammond, Indiana. While living and working in Hammond he became acquainted with the Kable Brothers and their printing plant in Mount Morris, Illinois. The Kables eventually hired J.W. to work for them and J.W. and his family relocated to Mount Morris in 1913.
By 1917 J.W. was foreman of the Kable Composing Room and decided to strike out on his own. A magazine called Poultry Tribune was having trouble and was up for sale. Seeing its possibilities, J.W. and Adon Yoder bought it and went into the publishing business. They knew little about the poultry business, but they were confident that they could manage and produce the magazine, and hire someone who did know about poultry to take care of the editorial side. They were right.
Over the decades, WATT Global Media has launched, acquired and recast its media and information services to serve an ever-changing audience in the U.S. and around the world. Today, the company remains family-owned spanning four generations with corporate headquarters in Rockford, Illinois USA. WATT Global Media’s fully integrated portfolio of print and digital products delivers information and solutions to business decision-makers in over 150 countries. WATT Global Media is committed to providing the most comprehensive, sought-after information to executives and decision-makers in the global poultry, animal feed and pet food industries.
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