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The BNA Story

BNA's Beginnings

In 1926, David Lawrence launched what he called the country's "first truly national newspaper," The United States Daily. He established BNA in 1929 as a division of U.S. Daily. BNA's purpose was to report, interpret, and explain the increasingly complicated workings of the federal government and their far-reaching impact on the economic life of the nation.

In 1946, Lawrence offered to sell BNA to his top editors, who, in turn, opened up ownership to all BNA employees.

Employee-Owned

BNA has been wholly employee-owned since 1947. Today, BNA's employees and retirees still own 100% of the company's stock. All employees are eligible to purchase stock on an equal basis. In BNA's unique ownership structure, no special stock options exist for senior management.

Every year BNA's employee owners elect the company's board of directors, made up of 10 active and/or retired employees and 5 outside directors. Some 80% of employees choose to own stock, and no shareholder owns more than 3% of the company.

Employee shareholders also vote on matters related to the company's ownership. Since 1984, BNA shareholders have voted three times to affirm continued employee ownership. BNA received the Business Ethics Employee Ownership Award in 2000.

BNA's Stock In Trade

From the beginning, BNA's stock in trade has been to successfully anticipate and meet the information needs of a rapidly expanding business sector.

BNA information services continue to be highly valued for their editorial independence–
non-partisan, unbiased, first-hand reporting. Renewal rates surpassing any in the industry serve as testimonials to the "must read" status of many BNA services in leading business and government offices.

That reputation–for the consistent delivery of reliable information and critical analysis– has kept BNA at the head of the field in professional publishing. BNA experts regularly deliver legislative analysis to radio and television audiences. And as the Internet has made information easier to access, the credibility long established by the BNA brand has made our content much sought-after by other news and information providers–BNA reporting can now be found on a host of other news sites.

World War II - Essential Information

World War II was an exciting chapter for the still-young BNA. Publishing the Daily Report on Price and Production Controls, which quickly became vital to both industry and government, BNA was the only private organization to receive an unlimited allocation of paper during the war.

Pioneering overnight delivery of this publication made BNA the largest wartime customer of air freight service. BNA's accuracy in reporting, combined with its ability to distribute its publications rapidly and widely, made the company worthy of "essential industry" status.

A Celebrated Workplace

BNA's workplace practices have brought accolades over the years. Based on a random survey of employees, BNA was named to FORTUNE magazine's list of "100 Best Companies to Work For in America" for three years running. The Working Mother list of "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers" included BNA for nine consecutive years. Washingtonian magazine named BNA one of the "Best Places to Work in Washington"  and Business Ethics magazine awarded BNA the prestigious Business Ethics Award in the category of Employee Ownership.

Many of the family-friendly policies and practices which qualified the company for this recognition have originated with BNA's employee owners, and most have been a fact of life at BNA for many years.

Capital Headquarters

BNA has been headquartered in the national capital area from its inception. Reporters are just minutes away from top government and industry sources, able to provide timely, firsthand coverage of Congressional and agency hearings, White House briefings, and Supreme Court cases.

A nationwide network of staff correspondents cover the state governments and court systems, keeping BNA subscribers abreast of legislative and regulatory movement and trends around the country.

The Guild

Non-management employees have been represented by the Baltimore-Washington Newspaper Guild since shortly after the company's 1947 incorporation. Many Guild-management committees have worked together to craft some of the progressive policies, practices, and benefits that have long made BNA a sought-after employer, and a leader in the movement to help employees balance work and life.

eBNA

Technology has swept up the information industry along with most of the rest of the world, changing forever the way information is delivered. Engaged in this evolution, BNA now offers its information products in as many formats as its customers require.

BNA boasts a qualified staff of legal editors, expert in all aspects of business law and, as always, we are committed to objectivity, accuracy, and advanced technology to speed the delivery of information in all formats.

The BNA Companies

The BNA subsidiary companies bring to the professional marketplace a variety of offerings that mirror BNA's high-quality, high-end information products. This vibrant network produces Web products, directories, e-newsletters, traditional newsletters, conferences & audioconferences, electronic databases, magazines, consulting, research, intelligent forms, and other state-of-the-art media. Collaboration among the BNA companies allows the corporation to respond to market forces quickly and with diversified products.