# Gerri Knilans

> Gerri Knilans is the co-founder of Trade Press Services, a B2B marketing communications firm established in 1995. Her career spans preschool ownership, marketing consulting, writing, media outreach, and business leadership. The current company team page lists her as CEO and Jamie Pagett as president; a December 2025 interview announced a planned retirement and leadership transition.

- **Role:** Co-Founder and CEO at Trade Press Services (current team-page listing)
- **Organizations:** Trade Press Services, Platts, Adams, Klosterman, Invitational Promotions, Inc., neXco National, CEOWORLD Magazine Executive Council
- **Education:** Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Postgraduate coursework; degree not specified, Loyola University
- **Known for:** Co-founded Trade Press Services in 1995., 2024 podcast biographies credit her with more than 80 published articles., Rise25 biography credits the company under her leadership with serving more than 500 B2B clients and working with more than 750 editors.

## Career timeline

- **Early twenties** — Owned and operated a licensed preschool and kindergarten; described buying a nursery school at 23 and running it for about five years.
- **1977-1979** — Assistant to the President at Invitational Promotions, Inc., according to The Org career profile.
- **1980-1990** — Partner at Platts, Adams, Klosterman, according to The Org career profile.
- **1995** — Co-founded Trade Press Services with Cork Platts.
- **2011** — Reported 21 new clients for the year and increased demand beyond traditional trade articles.
- **2024** — Appeared on Thinking That Matters, The Girl With The Purple Hair Talks Business, Inspectations, and Extraordinary America.
- **2025-12** — Announced a planned year-end retirement and transition to Jamie Pagett.
- **2026-01** — Published an article on corporate legacy in Sales and Marketing Management.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Trade Press Services in 1995.
- 2024 podcast biographies credit her with more than 80 published articles.
- Rise25 biography credits the company under her leadership with serving more than 500 B2B clients and working with more than 750 editors.
- Supported an Aspire2STEAM scholarship for clarinetist Paniz Shafaei.

## Latest updates

- **2026-01** — Her article Corporate Legacy as a Strategic Asset for Sustainable Business Growth was published on January 12 in Sales and Marketing Management.
- **2025-12** — In a December 29 interview, announced a planned year-end retirement and succession by Jamie Pagett.

## Links

- Website: https://www.tradepressservices.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerriknilans/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/gerri-knilans
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-21