The Ovid Bell Press Agrees to Be Purchased by Walsworth Publishing

FULTON, MO—Dec. 6, 2012—Earlier this week, John Bell, CEO of The Ovid Bell Press, posted a letter to customers on the printer’s Facebook page announcing that Walsworth Publishing had signed a letter of intent to purchase the company. Executives at Walsworth declined to comment until after the deal is finalized.

The following is the contents of Bell’s letter:

The Ovid Bell Press, Inc. (OBP) has entered into an agreement to be purchased by Walsworth Publishing in Marceline, MO.

The transaction is scheduled to close on Dec. 31, 2012. After the closing date, there will continue to be no changes in how your account is serviced. Under this new ownership, The Ovid Bell Press will be able to grow faster and offer our clients added benefits.

I will remain as CEO of The Ovid Bell Press and customers will continue interaction with their current manufacturing facility. Projects will not be transferred between Walsworth Publishing and OBP facilities.

All sales and customer service representative assignments will remain the same. All pricing and contracts currently being used will stay intact. All paper stocks currently used will continue to be used in the production of your publication. Production schedules will remain the same and invoices will still be generated from The Ovid Bell Press

Until the due diligence process is complete, both companies will operate independently. In the interim, you may have both a Walsworth and an OBP representative calling on you.

Walsworth Publishing Company is among the 50 largest printing companies in the U.S. and top 10 book printers. The company is also the only American and family-owned publisher of yearbooks.

Started in 1937 by Walsworth brothers Don, Ed and Bill, current leadership is under the second and third generations: Don O. Walsworth, CEO, and his son, Don Walsworth, president. The company, which began printing yearbooks in 1947, operates from administrative offices and printing and binding facilities in Marceline, Mo., a prepress facility in Brookfield, MO, a sales and marketing office in Kansas City, MO, and a printing facility in Saint Joseph, MI. The Donning Company Publishers in Virginia Beach, VA, a specialty book publisher, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Walsworth.

We will provide further details as they become available and you may contact your sales representative if you have questions or concerns.

Source: Ovid.