Having long thought there was a lack of a good, interesting to read, business magazine for the Twin Cities and surrounding area we have created one.

Doppel Magazine was recently launched with preliminary design details and created a great deal of interest with several strories coming in and advertising slots now contracted. We look forward to being able to host interesting news and stories of small businesses having an impact in the area.

In what we believe is a first, our yachting division, IY Blue, became the first yachting industry sponsor of a Le Mans racing driver and team.

The deal was put together after talks that started off as our promoting the team and driver through our publications, and through joint enthusiasm grew into full sponsorship. We are now working with the team and their partners for promote the effort and the project.

In a candid moment we have to admit, we also did this for the cool factor of having our name on the car as it competes.

We recently placed our first European based offices for IY Blue in Montenegro, on the Adriatic Sea.

Our representatives at the offices will be working with the yachts of IY Blue, and the electric yachts of IY Green. To further facilitate promotion of the offices and our work in the region we are creating a dedicated version of IY Blue Magazine that spotlights products and services in the European arena.

We have been appointed as an official dealer for the Electric Elegance 38 yacht, a luxury electric cruising vessel built in Italy.

This adds to the range of yachts represented by both IY Green - our electric yacht division - and IY Blue. Launching in September of 2025, the Electric Elegance will be a tribute to elegant Italian design with her classic lines, yet a nod to the latest in technology with her electric drive systems.

It is wonderful being a part of this industry and seeing wider acceptance of electric vessels across a wide spread of use.

In a joint deal with IYR UAE, we are redesigning our own Sovren World Magazine as a dedicated publication to be based in Dubai and act as a yachting and lifestyle publication for the region.

As our luxury magazine portfolio grows, this event spotlights the continued interest in magazines as entertaining and promotional vehicles.

It also marks the first time one of the magazines got such a good reception that a group wanted it as their own.

We have recently contracted with a 22 year old entrepreneur to take her concept of a company dedicated to the promotion of renewable energy items and make it real. Her goal was to remove the current stigma attached to the industry and provide an entertaining and educational platform for products.

The project covers all sectors of the industry from generation and storage through to all new forms of transportation - automobiles, motorcycles and bicycles, aircraft and watercraft.

We have been involved from the very beginning, helping with everything from naming and logo design, through web design, magazine creation, publicity, and direct marketing to all sectors of the industry on a worldwide basis. The project has been absolutely fascinating as we discover the development of the amazing products now available.

Our work in yacht brokerage has led to a partnership with a European based yachting company that lets us start to expand our marketing and interests into the realm of superyachts.

Carrying their brand through, we are basically creating an entirely new division for the company with focus slightly tweaked for the target market. To achieve this a dedicated website has been built, with all new brochures, and a dedicated magazine as a promotional tool for launch and ongoing communication.

We have now expanded our publishing operations beyond magazines, and are pushing forward into the field of book publishing.

This move came about due to the lack of feasible publishing and distribution options we found for books we were creating with a wide gulf between larger houses and the proliferation of online outfits promising things they could not deliver.

It is actually taking off faster than thought, with two other authors already in talks to be represented.

We were recently contracted to carry out a full marketing program by the builder of the SW-51 Mustang, a painstakingly accurate recreation of the famous P-51 Mustang but at 71% scale and built with the latest technology..

The aircraft is beautiful to behold in real life. Despite being made of the latest high-tech materials, the detailing to make it authentic is just exquisite. Throughout the body there are over 100,000 fake rivet heads embedded into the carbon fibre skin. The tail fin, made of carbon fibre, has a cloth pattern like the original fabric tail complete with stitching.

After being approached by a young, local entrepreneur we entered into a joint venture with our publishing work to create a magazine for his work within the Twin Cities metro and surrounding areas. POC Magazine was born.

This publication, with just two issues in print and number three in design, has proven itself so popular that it is about to expand into other cities around the U.S. under licensing agreements with business and entrepreneurial groups there.

Following on from the complete rebranding of our brokerage, IY Blue, issue 007 of IY Blue Magazine was also redesigned to complete the branding across the entire range of media.

The magazine, issued in November of 2024, was one of the largest issues of the magazine produced. Features included the charter yachts Bad Mutha and Figurati, articles on the Bentley Batur and on an electric 1929 baby Bentley Blower reproduction. The editorial features also included a story on the design of a wine label, features on renewable energy boats, the SW-51 Mustang aircraft, Hublot's MP11 Water Blue Sapphire watch, and the automobile art of Renaud Marion.

Issue 008 is due out in February of 2025, and is already filling with features on new and unique items and experiences.

We brought into Minnesota the first Solar Sal 24 in the midwest area. The boat is one of the vessels being marketed through IY Green, our yacht brokerage that was started recently to focus on electric yachts worldwide.

Completely powered by solar with battery back-up, the boat is kept at our location in Afton, Minnesota as a show model and demonstration unit. She is the latest to be added to the lines IY Green represents with boats from the U.S. and Europe.

The boat is causing quite a stir with those who cruise on her, especially when they realize they are cutting through the water on  solar power while charging the batteries at the same time.