Jim Cohen Keynote Speaker

Jim Cohen, Executive Vice President, Mergers and Acquisitions, here at Consolidated Graphics, Inc., will be the keynote speaker at this summer’s Alliance of Merger & Acquisition Advisors (AM&AA) Summer Conference to be held July 19-21 at the Hilton Chicago.

The theme of the conference is “Heating Up: M&A on the Rise,” and will focus on today’s merger and acquisition environment. There will be more than 400 attendees at the conference, including intermediaries, private equity sources, strategic and mezzanine investors, attorneys, CPAs, and other M&A professionals.

Cohen will be speaking on July 20th at 8:10 a.m, and will address why Consolidated Graphics’ approach to acquisitions is both unique and highly successful.

To read more about where Cohen will be giving his keynote presentation, visit the conference blog.

Emerge™ 2011 a Smashing Success

This year’s emerge conference in Dallas, Texas was a rousing success, enabling CGX customers, business executives, print leaders, and equipment and technology developers to come together to share the latest marketing and technology innovations that are positioning companies for success. From personalized conference materials to grand format floor coverings, the Hyatt Regency in downtown Dallas was transformed with the presence of emerge. With nearly 1,000 attendees, this year’s conference was full of highlights, including:

• Keynote speakers Eileen Gittins (Founder and CEO, Blurb), John Sabel (Executive Vice President, Motion Picture Creative Print Marketing, Walt Disney Studios), Jamey Rootes (President, Houston Texans), and Don Pettit (Chairman and CEO, Mally Beauty),
• The announcement of CGX’s new cloud computing data center and WorkSmart Suite™ collection of marketing solutions,
• The announcement of the 1st Annual Encore™Award winners,
• 49 educational breakout sessions for attendees to learn and exchange ideas,
• The business expo, which gave attendees the opportunity to see the excellent work being done by CGX companies, suppliers and customers, and
• A live demonstration of Adobe’s Creative Suite 5.5.

And who could forget the party at Cowboys Stadium for all attendees? Conference guests had the opportunity to see this world-renowned stadium up close and take part in a wide selection of football games to show off their athletic ability on the same field as professional NFL players.

All of the keynote speakers gave attendees great advice and takeaways from their speeches. For example, Eileen Gittins stated that “taking something to print means that it matters,” and Jamey Rootes told the audience “you should push yourself to the limits, and if you’re not then you aren’t doing your job to the best of your ability.” Each speaker gave his or her own perspective about what it takes to be successful in business.

“Emerge is a great event that helps move print forward, giving people from all over the opportunity to come together and share experiences and expertise with each other,” stated Aaron Grohs, Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing for Consolidated Graphics.

Next year’s emerge conference will take place in New Orleans, April 17-20, 2012.

For a comprehensive news report about the event, visit WhatTheyThink.

CDS Publications Brings a Little Bit of Royalty to Consolidated Graphics

With the world captivated by the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, we’re pleased to announce that CDS Publications, a Consolidated Graphics company, was a part of it. Well, maybe not on the ground in London, but in the world of comics they were.

CDS Publications, which is located in Medford, OR, produced Bluewater Productions’ latest comic book, “Fame: The Royals.” The comic book delves into many aspects of the lives of Great Britain’s royal couple, Prince William and Kate Middleton, from their wedding planning and dress possibilities, to where they might choose to honeymoon.

“Fame: The Royals” was released to the public in April. CDS Publications also printed a limited release collector’s edition, which is a 40-page soft-cover perfect bound book. The collector’s edition will be available to the public in May.

LDP Achieves Record-Breaking Growth

At Consolidated Graphics we understand that professional development is the key not only to our success, but also to our team members’ success as well. And that’s why our CEO, Joe Davis, created the Leadership Development Program (LDP).

In 1991, the first Leadership Development Program was founded with a handful of “Associates” participating in the program. Flash forward 19 years, and a record 100 Associates were enrolled during the 2010 summer session, with an additional 81 added to the roster the following fall. More than 450 participants have graduated from the program over the years – with 22 former Associates now serving in the capacity of President of a Consolidated Graphics company.

“The Leadership Development Program plays an integral and invaluable role at CGX,” said Rody Grant, director of Recruiting, Training, & Development at Consolidated Graphics. “We give Associates a hands-on opportunity to learn every aspect of the commercial printing process. Once they finish the Leadership Development Program, Associates are well prepared to begin a specific career track with the tools CGX has provided them.”

Once Associates enter the Program, they have the opportunity to learn from management teams across Consolidated Graphics. Each Associate rotates through all aspects of the business, from production to leadership training. Upon completion of the Program they choose a position within a CGX company that best fits their interests and skills.

We continue to recruit the best and the brightest for the LDP. We’re visiting more than 50 campuses across the country and we look forward to seeing who will join our next group of future Consolidated Graphics leaders!

Ironwood And Heritage Merge Together

Ironwood Lithographers and Heritage Graphics, two CGX companies located in the Phoenix, AZ, area, have merged into one great graphic communications company that will operate under the Ironwood Lithographers name. Together , the two profitable companies will provide an even greater range of services to their clients.

Heritage Graphics brings a successful track record and stellar reputation to the Ironwood operation, and with Ironwood’s centralized location in Tempe and the backing of Consolidated Graphics, the merger will make the company a formidable competitor in the Southwest region.

For more information, please read the press release.

Cyril-Scott Implements ReadSmart Technology

When mail arrives, most consumers go through a quick process of dividing the contents into two piles: one to read, and one to recycle. Cyril-Scott, a Consolidated Graphics company based in Lancaster, Ohio, is working hard to make sure that more mail falls into that “read” pile, but now they’re taking it one step further, helping their customers’ audiences actually respond to what they receive and read. How are they doing it? With ReadSmart technology.

ReadSmart is a software tool based on scientific research that improves typesetting by subtly emphasizing words and phrases for the reader’s eye, creating a greater impact during reading. These subtle changes range from the spacing of letters and words to lines break within text. While these might be small changes that go unnoticed to the typical reader, by serving to energizing copy they make a large impact with respect to reader comprehension.

Cyril-Scott began offering ReadSmart to its customers this past October. The technology has allowed their clients, whether it’s through a direct mail campaign or other print materials that require a response from consumers, to receive increased feedback and retention. 

“At Cyril-Scott we’re always looking to new innovations and breakthroughs that will improve the product for our clients,” said Matt Coltharp, president of Cyril-Scott. “ReadSmart underscore our commitment in using the most effective technology to improve results, and serves as a great value-add for our clients and their campaigns.”

Consolidated Graphics Leads the Industry in Financial Strength

In our most recent earnings release on February 2, 2011 Consolidated Graphics once again demonstrated industry leadership in terms of innovation and financial strength. We met with Jon Biro, chief financial officer of Consolidated Graphics, to talk about what this means to our customers and investors.

Consolidated Graphics will continue to invest in new technology. “Technology is advancing faster than ever before, and has become an integral component to creating more relevant print collateral. From data security to a world-leading digital infrastructure, Consolidated Graphics will continue to expand the breadth and quality of its service offerings. We’ve invested over $100 million into technology over the last four years, including building the world’s largest digital print platform. We’re seeing a huge benefit from this investment in terms of digital sales growth, and have the financial wherewithal to maintain this leadership position as technology evolves.”

We have staying power. “At a time when many smaller print companies are struggling financially, CGX has shown that we’re here to stay. Both customers and investors can take comfort in the fact that we are continuing to grow, both organically and through acquisitions.”

We are positioned to grow. “CGX maintains solid relationships with our bank group, and has immediate access to capital. When a business acquisition opportunity presents itself, as it often does, we’re positioned to act quickly and pay cash to acquire a company that has proven to be a strategic fit.”

Biro believes that Consolidated Graphics is making investments in the right technologies, at the right time. “We saw 24% growth in digital printing, greater access to national clients with higher transaction volumes, and solid same-store sales growth in fiscal year 2011. We have dramatically less debt than we did three years ago, and we maintain our commitment to bringing the most effective and highest value print solutions to our customers.”