Sandy Alexander Continues M&A Spree with Designers' Press Acquisition

Michael Graff, president and CEO, Sandy Alexander

Fresh on the heels of its acquisition of Dinetec last week — and another industry acquisition that will be announced shortly — Clifton, N.J.-based Sandy Alexander has acquired Designers’ Press, an Orlando, Fla., commercial printing company that caters to the hospitality markets, such as theme parks, time shares and vacations. Founded in 1990, Designers’ longtime owners, Dave Simons, president and CEO, and Dan Wolfe, VP of operations, will continue to lead and expand the footprint of their roughly 50-employee operation.

The company's capabilities and market verticals complement Sandy Alexander’s current platform, which serves customers in pharmaceutical/health, beauty/cosmetics, fashion/retail and automotive industries, and expands its presence in new markets. One of the largest independently owned, high-end commercial graphic communications providers in the U.S., Sandy Alexander offers digital printing solutions, sheetfed and web printing with in-line finishing/personalization, wide- and grand-format digital output, and printing for retail visual merchandising.

In a phone interview with Printing Impressions, Sandy Alexander President and CEO Michael Graff — a 2012 Printing Impressions/RIT Printing Industry Hall of Fame inductee who has served as CEO for the past decade — credits the common managerial, business philosophy and productivity synergies between Designers' Press and Sandy Alexander as a key driver that attracted him to Designers' Press and led to the acquisition. Graff praises the business culture fostered by Simons and Wolfe, both of whom will continue to lead and manage Designers' Press.

“We plan to expand our presence and our commitment to the greater Orlando business community by immediately investing in new equipment and creating employment opportunities," Graff says. "Designers’ has an outstanding reputation for service and quality that they have cultivated over many years. Their manufacturing operation and approach to business are a perfect complement to Sandy’s platform and ‘customer first’ philosophy.”

According to Graff, about 10 to 15 new employees —including salespeople, CSRs and operators — will soon be added to Designers' Press employee roster. Additional planned CAPEX investments also include new digital and wide-format printing equipment.

According to the equipment list on Designers' Press website, the firm currently operates an HP Indigo 7800 and a Ricoh Pro C7110 digital press; a six-color, 40˝ Mitsubishi sheetfed offset press; as well as six- and a five-color, 40˝ Komori Lithrone sheetfed presses. Full bindery capabilities include a range of gear, including MBO folders and a six-pocket Muller Martini saddle stitcher.

Graff also points to overall health of the Orlando and Tampa/St. Petersburg areas as a driving factor for the acquisition — and the enhanced value that Designers' Press production capabilities will bring to Sandy Alexander's existing Florida operation.

Acquisition Complements Sandy Alexander's Longer Run Direct Mail Printing Plant in St. Petersburg

Sandy Alexander already operates a high-volume direct mail printing operation in St. Petersburg, which houses a range of six- and seven-color heatset web offset presses with in-line finishing and inkjet personalization capabilities. He believes that the digital and sheetfed offset printing, folding and other finishing capabilities at Designers' Press will complement the St. Petersburg longer-run, web printing direct mail operation, especially when it comes campaigns requiring shorter runs, letter jobs, sheetfed envelopes, inserting, basic mail packs and the like.

The Designers' Press deal follows closely on the acquisition of Dinetec, which was announced last Friday. Dinetec specializes in the development and implementation of technologies tailored to the casual dining restaurant industry. Dinetec’s platform offers guest-facing innovations such as children's entertainment activities, data management, dynamic workflows, menu and in-store retail graphics programs, ADA compliance websites, and mobile and WiFi integration. Key markets served are casual dining, fast casual and quick serve restaurants, including sit down-service chains like Olive Garden, IHOP and several others.

According to John Glick, who leads Dinetec,  “Sandy, Dinetec and Designers’ combined are a powerhouse of technology, bringing higher quality service and innovation to the restaurant industry. Having a high-quality manufacturing site for sheetfed, digital and wide-format in the Orlando area is extremely beneficial.” Glick was a former employee of Central Florida Press, which announced its closure yesterday, impacting about 145 workers. (Glick had departed Central Florida Press at least eight months prior, totally unrelated to the acquisition of Dinetec by Sandy Alexander.)

Ranked Number 45 on the most recent Printing Impressions 400 list of the largest printers in the U.S. and Canada based on annual sales volume, Sandy Alexander reported $108 million in revenues for its most recently completed fiscal year, a 7% increase over the prior year. View the complete PI 400 rankings here.

These two acquisitions, combined with the M&A deal still to be announced shortly, will surely drive Sandy Alexander's sales figures even higher.