By Pennell Paugh
September 5, 2022 (El Cajon) -- Sunbelt Publications, Inc.which has been located in El Cajon for 38 years, has moved its publishing headquarters and warehouse to Chula Vista. It is under new ownership.
Long-time owners Lowell and Diana Lindsay, upon retiring, urged their employees to takeover the business. It is now owned by three long-standing workers: Lisa Gulick and Maria Groschup-Black, and Maria's wife, Nichole.
Sunbelt distributes and wholesales books to “the book trade” (independent and national-chain bookstores, national wholesalers, and online booksellers), outdoor retailers, museums, visitor centers, and gift shops. In addition, the company publishes its own award-winning books and provides distribution clients with full-publishing services.
Their mission is to contribute to the body of knowledge on the topics of natural science, outdoor adventure, regional histories, and stories that celebrate the land and its people. Their regional focus includes California, the desert southwest, and Baja California, Mexico.
Their phone is (619) 258-4911 and email is info@sunbeltpub.com. Below is a list of the employees and their titles:
When the dust has settled in the fall, the firm will be open for visitors 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday by appointment at 664 Marsat Court, Suite A, Chula Vista, CA 91911.
Owners Diana and Lowell Lindsay, at retirement age, sold the company to another publishing house which had planned to move it out of the area, but the contract was withdrawn with the onset of COVID, within a week of signing the final sale papers.
According to Sunbelt, COVID immediately caused a loss of sales from major customers with museums, gift shops and visitor centers as well.
Those customers have been slowly recovering and sales are returning to their former levels, and in many cases exceeding previous sales. With the populace doing more ordering from home, Sunbelt’s Amazon, and other online sales, are growing rapidly.
Additionally, Sunbelt has received many COVID-related grants because of the company’s stability and long-standing in the marketplace. These grants have carried the firm through recent hard times.
While the company’s new owners wanted to remain in El Cajon, the Lindsays allowed the lease to expire. By the time the current owners purchased Sunbelt, the building had been leased to other renters. However, Sunbelt is happy to stay in San Diego County, not far from its East County friends and customers.