R.L. Polk & Company
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| Acquired by IHS Inc. | |
| Industry | Automotive |
| Founded | Detroit, MI {1870} |
| Founder | Ralph Lane Polk |
| Headquarters | Southfield, MI |
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Area served
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Worldwide |
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Key people
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Stephen R. Polk
Tim Rogers
Richard Raines
Michelle Goff
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| Website | www.polk.com |
Stephen R. Polk
Tim Rogers
Richard Raines
Michelle Goff
R. L. Polk & Company is a provider of automotive information and marketing solutions to the automotive industry, insurance companies, and related businesses.
Polk was acquired by IHS Inc. on July 15, 2013 and is based in Southfield, Michigan with operations in several countries, including the United States, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Japan, China and Australia.
R. L. Polk & Company was founded by Ralph Lane Polk in 1870 in Detroit, MI as a publisher of business directories. In 1872, the company first published a City Directory, for Evansville, Indiana, plus a listing of post offices in nine states. Additional directories followed in the ensuing years as the business grew. claiming 1000 directories by 1960. Affiliates included the Polk-Husted Directory Co. of Oakland, California. In addition to city directories, the company published bank directories.
In 1907, R.L. Polk & Co. was publishing a "Gazetteer" Business directory for the State of Michigan and Windsor and Walkerville Ontario, as well as gazetteers for Alaska, Arkansas, California, Idaho, Illinois, Oklahoma, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Missouri, Nevada, Oregon, Washington State, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
In 1921, a conversation between Ralph Lane Polk II and Alfred P. Sloan (who later became president of General Motors) helped fuel R. L. Polk & Company's entry into the automotive industry. During the conversation, Sloan asked Polk to impartially tabulate and publish statistical information on cars and trucks in operation. R.L. Polk & Company launched its motor vehicle statistical operations in 1922, when the first car registration reports were published. In 1922, R.L. Polk & Co. published its first Passenger Car Registration Report, covering 58 makes and accounting for 9.2 million passenger automobiles on America's highways.
From 1951 to 1958, the company pioneered the use of electronic punch card tabulating equipment. In 1956, Polk's reporting services included monthly statistics on boats, business aircraft, motorcycles, commercial trailers, and recreational vehicles. In 1976, the National Vehicle Population Profile (NVPP) was introduced.
In 1993, Polk combined their Canadian activities with Blackburn Marketing Services to form Blackburn / Polk Marketing Services Inc. (BPMSI). Polk also acquired a 35% interest in CARFAX from Blackburn Marketing Services. In 1995, Polk entered an alliance with Marketing Systems GmBH and acquired a substantial minority interest in The Ultimate Perspective (T.U.P).
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Wikipedia