Our commitment to accurate information, courteous service and cutting-edge technology is the bedrock of our business. This is evidenced through our corporate history and milestones.

Our company began when a former potato shipper, A.L. Baker, saw an industry in need. Fruit and vegetable traders needed a way to protect their credit extensions in an industry where quickly and confidently trading perishable commodities was a fact of life. In 1901, Baker and the other founders provided the trade the first Blue Book.

The founders of our company, then called Produce Reporter Company, began the business with the simple principles of honor, integrity and service. Our associates have been dedicated to staying on top the needs of the marketplace and to providing tools that make a difference.

Throughout our history, we have committed ourselves to providing best-in-class information. Mutually committed to this goal, Blue Book members have provided confidential financial data and trading reports. This alliance has been fundamental in the timely distribution of in-depth credit and business profiles.

Over a century later, a different industry found itself in need of a reliable way of protecting credit extensions. The lumber and building material industry reached out to Blue Book Services. In 2009, we began serving lumber traders with needed business and credit information. The tried and true products that have served the produce industry for over a century will quickly be adapted to serve the lumber industry.

As our mission statement communicates, we are committed to providing our customers the best resources for their success. Our values of integrity, innovation and service that began over a hundred years ago continue to guide our decisions and behaviors.


Industry Firsts & Notable Milestones:

1901 - Provide the fresh fruit & vegetable industry’s first specialized credit service, the Blue Book, with Moral Responsibility ratings.

1904 - Determine and write Trade Customs and Terms. These were the foundation of the present basic terms of industry trading.

1905 - Establish Trading Membership as an honor service available to those who establish themselves as the best firms in the industry.

1909 - Establish a Board of Arbitrators to make it possible to settle disputes promptly and equitably.

1941 - Recognize Ability as a credit factor equally important with Integrity in writing Blue Book Moral Responsibility ratings.

1964 - Write the first Pay Descriptions.

1971 - Determine and write Customs and Rules for exempt trucking services to encourage self-regulation.

1992 - Introduce the Know Your Commodity reference section.

1994 - Introduce the Electronic Blue Book on CD-ROM.

2000 – Refine Blue Book Collection Assistance to include a four-step method of
            resolving open accounts.

2002 - Introduce Blueprints: The Produce Professionals Quarterly Journal.

2008 - Introduce Blue Book Online Services; earn Model of Excellence Award from InfoCommerce Group.
         - Enhance Blue Book Business Reports with Blue Book Scores, and Equifax commercial data.

2009 - Provide the wholesale lumber and forest products industry a specialized online service.



To learn about the resources Blue Book Services can provide to your business, please visit our Produce or Lumber websites.