Maria Rodale Named to Pennsylvania's 2009 "Best 50 Women in Business" List

EMMAUS, Pa. & NEW YORK - (BUSINESS WIRE) - Rodale announced today that Maria Rodale, Chairman of Rodale Inc. and Editor-in-Chief of Rodale.com, has been named by Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell to the state's 2009 "Best 50 Women in Business" list. The program, conceived in 1996, recognizes women who share a commitment to community, business growth, and professional excellence and are shaping the economic future of Pennsylvania. This year's honorees will receive their awards at various events on Monday, May 11, and will be honored at an evening reception at the Hilton Hotel in Harrisburg, PA. Gov. Rendell called the executives on the list terrific examples of Pennsylvania's brightest business minds and role models for anyone who aspires to succeed.

"I am honored to be named by Gov. Rendell to Pennsylvania's Best 50 Women in Business, and it is a privilege to be included in this talented and accomplished group," said Maria Rodale.

An executive, author, and advocate who has dedicated her career to promoting personal and environmental health, with a particular focus on organics, Rodale is one of four Lehigh County businesswomen named to the list, including Mimi S. Griffin, president/owner, MSG Promotions Inc., Bethlehem; Merry N. Landis, owner, Fine Art Resources, Allentown, and Jane P. Long, shareholder, Fitzpatrick Lentz & Bubba P.C., Center Valley.

The program, in its 14th year, is coordinated by the Department of Community and Economic Development in cooperation with five regional Pennsylvania business journals. Each year an independent group of judges selects the top 50 candidates based on submissions including biographical information, professional and personal accomplishments, community involvement, and an individual's advocacy for women in business.

"Best 50" is open to any woman who lives and works in Pennsylvania and is an owner, partner, or holds a senior executive management–level position with significant decision-making authority. An independent panel of judges selected this year's award winners based on their dedication to business growth, professional and personal accomplishments, community involvement, and advocacy for women in business.

In addition to her professional work as Rodale chairman, Rodale is the Editor-in-Chief of the recently launched Rodale.com, which features timely health and environmental news. With the tag line "Where health meets green," the site features news, video, and Maria Rodale's blog, "Maria's Farm Country Kitchen." She is also the author of three books, It's My Pleasure, written with her daughter Maya Rodale; Betty's Book of Laundry Secrets, and Maria Rodale's Organic Gardening.

Rodale publications now reach more than 70 million customers around the world through Prevention, Organic Gardening, Men's Health, Women's Health, Bicycling, Mountain Bike, Runner's World, and Running Times magazines; best-selling books such as An Inconvenient Truth, The South Beach Diet, The Doctors Book of Home Remedies, Flat Belly Diet!, and Eat This, Not That!; multimedia Web sites; and numerous philanthropic activities.

About Rodale

Rodale is a global multiplatform media company with a mission dedicated to the health and wellness of the individual, community, and planet. The company, which reaches more than 70 million people worldwide, publishes some of the best-known health and wellness lifestyle magazines, including Men's Health, Prevention, Women's Health, Runner's World, Bicycling, Mountain Bike, Running Times, and Organic Gardening, and is also the largest independent book publisher in America with a collection of international titles, including The South Beach Diet, An Inconvenient Truth, Flat Belly Diet!, and Eat This, Not That. Rodale's broad range of media platforms includes magazines, books, video, and extensive Web sites. The company is also a leader in direct-response marketing and has more than 25 million active customers in its database. Visit the Web site at www.RodaleInc.com.

Rodale
Robin Shallow, 212-573-0474
Robin.Shallow@Rodale.com