2007 Printing Industry Hall of Fame — Master of the Deal - Chris Colville

“We had upper parameters that we could pay for companies based upon that company’s capital resources, our bank lines, public stock and the like,” Colville says. “But the credibility of the management team was far more important than the financial information. We wanted management teams with a primary focus on their business as opposed to outside interests. We’d make our own judgment as to the management team’s interest in the business, their knowledge of it and balance that with who their customers are. If they’re a quality printer, their clientele would include the best companies in their market. That’s important. Then we did the equipment appraisals, looked at multiples, things like that.”