Taylor Corp. continues as consolidator in printing, graphics industry

Taylor Corp. continues to grow as a consolidator of the graphics and printing business, most recently with three acquisitions in three states.

Taylor, headquartered in North Mankato, Minn., is composed of nearly 100 small businesses. Together, those businesses produce annual revenue of more than $2 billion and employ 10,000 people.

Glen Taylor, Taylor Corp.'s chair and also owner of the Star Tribune, told company leaders that now is the time to expand through more acquisitions that retain staff and expertise.

"So it's not just cutting and running," CEO Charlie Whitaker said.

One of these purchases was Acrylic Design Associates, a manufacturer of artistic, acrylic fixtures, signage, backlit walls and other architectural elements in Plymouth. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The company has 125 employees and two buildings that span 275,000 square feet.

The factory had done some work for Taylor Corp. in the past and had similar types of customers, so the conversation about merging was natural, Whitaker said. It took just 90 days to put together and closed just before Jan. 1, company officials said.

"It was one of those things where we knew it was the right thing for both companies so why mess around," Whitaker said during a phone interview Monday.

Acrylic Design provides capabilities Taylor did not have. It will now become part of the Taylor Print and Visual Impressions unit. All employees and management will stay, including former owner Bill McNeely Jr.

During the last days of December, Taylor's Navitor Inc. subsidiary also made an acquisition. The unit acquired Epoly Corp., a Naples, Fla., company that makes custom-imprinted folders, envelopes and folios composed of recycled polypropylene for the promotional marketing industry. Epoly founder Tony Milcarsky will continue to manage the business, and again its workers — which number fewer than 100 — will stay.

Last week, Taylor Corp. bought select assets of a Texas-based bindery and finishes services firm called Legacy3 Print Media, a longtime customer.

Legacy3 gives Taylor Corp. the ability to fold, bind and insert printed product instructions, pharmaceutical directions and other important technical copy into product packages for customers, the company said.

"This one is so important to us," Whitaker said. "It truly was a needed vendor."

The assets will become part of Taylor's Print & Service Solutions Group and help expand its existing document management business in Hutchins, Texas.

The three combined deals helped Taylor Corp. kickstart 2023, said Whitaker, who noted that a fourth acquisition, this time in the technology arena, is pending and should be announced by the end of the first quarter.

While other companies are bracing for a possible recession, Whitaker said he and Glen Taylor are optimistic because Taylor Corp. has fully recovered from pandemic setbacks and saw organic growth during the last two years.