Pamela Ann Fuzak was born August 24, 1943, in Champaign, Ill., to Dorothy and John Fuzak, and grew up in East Lansing, Mich. While attending Michigan State Univ. (where she earned a Business Education degree), she met her soulmate, Frank Lessiter, in the university鈥檚 information services offices where both worked. After a brief courtship, they wed on November 23, 1963.

Among the couple鈥檚 early professional work together was a book they wrote and self-published from the basement of their Illinois home, called the Agricultural Travel Guide in 1971. The book鈥檚 publishing rights were subsequently acquired by Elanco and put into motion a new career path for Frank. It was the first of a handful of book projects in which she assisted her husband. Up until her death, she remained the company鈥檚 top copyeditor and proofreader.

Together, they raised 4 children, all of whom contributed to the company throughout its 4-plus decades. Their children include Debbie Hansen (Mark) of Onalaska, Wis., Susie Grabow (Brian) of Wauwatosa, Wis., Mike (Sandy) of Brookfield and Kelly Fitch (Quinn) of East Troy, Wis. She passed away in the same Brookfield home the couple purchased in 1972, when Frank accepted a move from Chicago to lead a soon-to-be-launched publication called . 

In March of 1981,  No-Till Farmer, Farm Building News and The National Farm Building Show and founded LM, a niche agriculture publisher. Pam was instrumental in keeping the business afloat through the ag recession of the 1980s and navigating through a forced divestiture in 1989 that resulted in a total rebuilding of the business.

For a time, the company operated with only she and Frank, and a part-time assistant. The acquisition of American Farriers Journal in 1992 marked a new beginning and provided the resources on which to expand again, and to apply their unique content-driven formula to other markets.

Today, the company employs 41 across nearly 20 global brands that span conservation agriculture, farm machinery and equine health. Its media channels include newsletters, magazines, in-person conferences, podcasts, virtual summits, broadcasts, books, marketing services and video.

鈥楢head of Her Time鈥�

As the company began its third decade, Pam was credited as 鈥渁head of her time鈥� among chief financial officers in the niche-media world. Specifically, she was noted for her early vision and diligence in establishing focused profit center P&Ls for each brand, early and advanced software use, cash-flow management, zero-sum budgeting and a highly disciplined expense management approach.

Pam was a model of how business and an enormous heart for people can go hand-in-hand. She provided emotional support for employees and was eager to provide help before being asked, especially in her favored 鈥渂aby-rocker鈥� roles.

In 2016, Frank, and son, Mike, established a scholarship in her name in 2016, the . 鈥淭hroughout her life, Pam has been dedicated to hard work, self-improvement and continuing education 鈥� the values that became the impetus for a scholarship program to encourage the recipients to use their God-given talents,鈥� noted Mike at the announcement at the 2016 LM Christmas party. Since that time, more than 140 scholarships have been presented to the children of LM staffers in pursuit of their post-secondary education.

Pam was always generous with her time and resources. She was particularly gifted in bringing peace and calm to others through her bright-shining personality, smiles and endless laughter, with a penchant for self-effacing humor.

Final Arrangements

Visitation is 4 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 19 at Becker-Ritter Funeral Home, 14075 W. North Ave., Brookfield, Wis. A eulogy, followed by a funeral mass, begins at 10:45 a.m. on Thursday, March 20 at St. John Vianney (1755 N. Calhoun Rd., Brookfield) with a luncheon immediately following at The Western Racquet Club, 800 Highland Dr., Elm Grove.

Memorial donations may be made to St. John Vianney Catholic Parish, 1755 N Calhoun Rd, Brookfield, WI 53005.

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Source: | Lessiter Media: FEMA Member since 1970

This prestigious international competition, organized by Trade, Association, and Business Publications International (TABPI), honors outstanding editorial and design achievements in B2B and trade media.

鈥淥ur family-run business remains rooted in content, and this recognition confirms that editors鈥� and designers鈥� commitment to excellence is alive and well in the niche knowledge markets,” said Mike Lessiter, president of Lessiter Media.

| Member since 1970

The 2nd annual class of Shortline Legends Hall of Fame inductees has been announced by Farm-Equipment Magazine. It honors the innovators and inventions of the independent ag equipment manufacturer.

This year鈥檚 Farm Equipment鈥檚 Shortline Legend Hall of Fame recipients are Howard Martin, Richard Unverferth, Al Myers, Cyril & Louis Keller and Wilfred Degelman.

The Shortline Legends will be recognized during the 2024 Farm 鈥奅quipment Manufacturers Association’s Marketing & Distribution Convention Oct. 22-24, in Addison, TX.

If you would like to nominate a deserving shortline equipment pioneer that made a lasting and game-changing impact on the North American ag equipment industry, visit .鈥�

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With the 2024 Farm Equipment Dealer Business Outlook & Trends survey complete and the results being tallied, we鈥檙e beginning to see some of what dealers are anticipating for the coming year.

Looking specifically at expectations for equipment sales, preliminary results suggest dealers continue to forecast declines in new equipment revenues. A third of respondents expect 2024 new equipment sales to decline 2-7% vs. 31% that foresee some degree of growth. Nearly half of respondents 鈥� 48% 鈥� are preparing for declines in new equipment sales in 2024. This is in line with their 2023 forecast, when the same percentage predicted a decline. About 21% expect sales will be flat year over year.

Feelings about used equipment sales were less pessimistic, with 36% of respondents saying they expect them to remain flat, with another 31% saying they could grow by 2-7%. Dealers foreseeing declines in used equipment sales made up the smallest percentage of respondents at a total of about 27%.

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