Southern Tier news is a privately held Regional periodicals distributor established in 1909 entering its second century of business. The following is a brief timeline of our history.
THE HISTORY OF SOUTHERN TIER NEWS
1909
Harry Rubin and brother Ike, formerly printers at the Elmira Star Gazette, the first Gannett newspaper, open Rubin’s Newsstand. A wholesale distribution operation, known as Rubin Brothers News, begins in the basement on East Water St. in Elmira, New York. Most wholesale business is newspapers. Few magazines published for distribution at this time. New York Times and other newspapers arrive on trains.
1922
The distributorship purchases the Corning news distributor.
1937
Harry Rubin acquires the wholesale business, now known as Elmira News, and moves to a larger location. Deliveries are made by hand, bicycle and cart, horse and wagon, and trolley car.
1946
Harry’s son Marvin Rubin, Cornell graduate and 1st Lieutenant having served with General Mark Clarke in WWII in Europe, joins Elmira News after being discharged from the US Army.
1950
Elmira News acquires Ithaca, New York newspaper distribution company.
1955
Elmira News acquires periodicals business from the regional American News Company. Rubin’s Store Front Elmira, NY
1966
The New York Times and other out of town papers start arriving by truck instead of by train.
1972
Marvin’s son Jeff Rubin, University of Virginia Economics graduate, returns at the time of the 100 year flood caused by Hurricane Agnes. Company changes name to Southern Tier News to reflect expanding service area, in Central and Western New York, Northern Pennsylvania and beyond.
Old office with the people who worked there.Old Office Facade Over time, old gives way to new. The new Southern Tier Office Building and Warehouse.
1978
Southern Tier News purchases Mayer’s News Agency of Ithaca, New York and its retail store Mayer’s, established in 1897.
1995
Southern Tier News purchases and reopens the original Rubins News after Ike Rubin’s successors close the store due to ill health.
1998
Massive consolidation of wholesale magazine distributors begins. In a few years independent full service wholesaler locations in North America will shrink from nearly 400 to less than 50.
2009
Southern Tier News starts expansion of Elmira facility for super efficiency and future growth as it enters its second century of business.
2014
Southern Tier News expands its footprint acquiring additional business when the second largest U.S. distributor ceases operations and a very large adjacent distributor is acquired by and merged into another wholesale operation.
2016
Publishers off invoice retail display allowance initiative generates more immediate magazine profit.
2017
We maintain our leadership position through the use of advanced technology, constant process improvement and continuous cost reduction.
2021
Southern Tier News expands its – Direct Division, supplying periodicals to New England, the Mid Atlantic states, and to the Continental United States via UPS.
2022
We believe Southern Tier News is the only remaining wholesale distributor of periodicals competing for business
