BROOKFIELD, Wis. — Rural Lifestyle Dealer, a Lessiter Media publication, has been named a national finalist for an Azbee Award from the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE). The annual awards honor excellence in the business, trade and specialty press. This year 1,144 entries were submitted across three overall excellence categories, 24 print categories, 22 design categories and 28 online categories.

Rural Lifestyle Dealer’s feature story about the 2015 Dealerships of the Year was named a regional and national finalist in the company profile category. The story in the fall 2015 issue profiled PrairieCoast Equipment as the multi-store award recipient and Kelly Tractor & Equipment as the single-store award recipient. The feature included extensive coverage in the print issue as well as video interviews that are archived on the website.

Another Lessiter Media publication, American Farriers Journal, was named a regional finalist for its farrier licensing series and its career guide.

Regional winners will be announced this month at regional Azbee Awards ceremonies. The national winners will be announced during the ASBPE's annual conference July 21-22 at The Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla.