SG360° Appoints Schneider as President, CEO; Joutras Continues as Chairman

WHEELING, Ill.—December 1, 2015—SG360°, an industry-leading direct marketing solutions provider with $300 million in annual revenue, today announced that it has set the stage for its next phase of growth by constituting its Board of Directors and completing a leadership transition. Mary Lee Schneider, a proven print and digital leader with more than 20 years' experience growing successful companies, was appointed president and CEO. Rick Joutras, formerly chairman, president and chief executive officer of SG360°, will remain as chairman of the Board. These changes are effective immediately.

Rick Joutras

“I am delighted that Mary Lee has joined the company as its next president and CEO, and I know the board shares this sentiment,” noted Joutras. "Mary Lee’s deep print and digital experience, gained as a senior executive with major companies in our industry, makes her the right person to propel SG360° forward."

Schneider, commenting on her new appointment, said, "SG360° has all the ingredients—innovative people, differentiated offerings and trusted customer relationships—needed for long-term, sustainable growth. The U.S. direct mail market is strong and SG360°’s core business—complex, personalized and high-end direct mail—is a growing part of our customers’ marketing mix. Leveraging this strength, I look forward to working with Rick, SG360°’s Board, leadership team and exceptional employees to serve our customers and accelerate our evolution into a full-service direct response and marketing services provider."

Prior to joining SG360°, Schneider, 53, served from 2012 to 2015 as president and CEO of Follett—the largest provider of education technology, services and print and digital content to both the K-12 and Higher Education markets. Before leading Follett, Schneider spent 20 years with RR Donnelley, most recently as president, digital solutions and chief technology officer from 2006 to 2012. In this role she was responsible for building, managing and growing technology-enabled businesses, as well as for setting overall research and development strategy and investment direction particularly related to Donnelley’s digital print platforms and technologies.  Earlier at RR Donnelley, she led the Premedia Technologies Group, a global business providing digital production and digital asset management services to Fortune 500 companies.

Schneider has a B.A. from Penn State University, an M.S. from the Rochester Institute of Technology, and an MBA and an M.S. from Northwestern University. She and her family live in Chicago.

"The Board looks forward to Rick’s continued contribution to the company’s success as chairman of the Board of Directors," explained Rodney Goldstein, member of SG360°’s board of directors. "Rick’s focus on customers and our best-in-class sales force enabled more than 20 years of consistent growth, including through the most recent economic downturn."

Joutras added, "When I joined SG360°, we started on a journey toward growing our already strong reputation for providing direct mail solutions that drive results for our customers. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of so many, SG360° is well-positioned to compete through its unique and complex offerings. We can be proud of the foundation we have built—one that will serve us well as we continue to grow the business."

SG360°’s Constitutes Board of Directors
SG360°’s Board of Directors, formed in April 2015 and charged with helping ensure the Company’s continued growth, is accountable to its shareholders, all of whom are SG360° employees under the company’s employee stock ownership plan (ESOP). Along with Joutras and Schneider, the Board includes three additional Directors each of whom bring considerable expertise in managing, leading and growing private businesses:

• Rodney Goldstein is a senior advisor at Frontenac, a leading Chicago-based private equity investment firm. Goldstein joined Frontenac in 1981, and served as managing partner and chairman through 2013, over which time the firm invested in more than 225 family and founder-owned companies.
• Peter Mason is a founding partner of Freeborn & Peters, LLP, a Chicago-based law firm, chairman of the Firm’s Executive Committee and a partner in its Corporate Practice Group. In addition to his legal experience, Mason served as president, chief executive officer and chairman of the Board of May & Speh, a successful, publicly-held marketing technology and services company that eventually merged with Acxiom Corp.
• Bob Cronin is managing partner and co-founder of The Open Approach, a provider of consulting and investment banking services to the printing industry. Prior to co-founding The Open Approach, Bob served as chairman and CEO of Wallace Computer Services, a global provider of printing and related services, leading the company through a series of strategic initiatives that increased annual revenues from $400 million to $1.5 billion.

About SG360°
SG360° offers multi-channel marketing integration solutions. The company’s services range from research and strategy to concept and execution focusing on brand identity, online marketing, corporate and collateral, direct mail, experiential, environmental graphics, advertising, Web design and development, portals and videos.

The company was founded in 1956 and has three manufacturing operations in Wheeling, Illinois, as well as one in Broadview, Illinois. SG360° has sales offices across the country.

Source: SG360°.