Former Trend Offset CEO Joins Dickinson, Private Equity M&A Firm

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - October 3, 2017 - Blackford Capital is excited to announce Aaron Day as CEO of Dickinson and its parent company, "Printing Consolidation Company" (PCC). Dickinson is the first company within PCC, specializing in the religious book printing services industry.

After acquiring Dickinson in 2015, Blackford Capital realized it would need an industry seasoned CEO to run the company and continue its acquisitions efforts. "With the addition of Aaron Day as CEO of Dickinson and PCC, we are poised to recruit industry leading talent and complete acquisitions in our core Book Printing segment," said Stephen Parker, chairman of Dickinson. "We are pursuing companies with a focus in the book industry and with Aaron's leadership background over the past 25 years, we now have the experience to accelerate our M&A growth strategy," said James Cook, Associate at Blackford Capital.

Before joining the company, Day served as CEO of Trend Offset Printing, a commercial printing company, headquartered in Los Alamitos, Calif. After securing Aaron Day as CEO, Blackford Capital hired John Ruther as CFO. Ruther joins after leading The Ruther Group, an international management consulting firm based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Ruther brings decades of experience leading large manufacturing companies in a financial and operational capacity.

"We have all been impressed with John's leadership thus far and are confident that he is the ideal fit for this position," said Chairman Steve Parker. "Aaron and John will elevate Dickinson as the company enters its next chapter and we are excited to see their passion as the new leadership team of Dickinson and PCC."

Blackford Capital, a national private equity firm based in Grand Rapids, Mich. invested in Dickinson in August of 2015, the fifth investment in the firm's Michigan Prosperity Fund. The fund is focused on investing in lower middle-market businesses in Michigan.

"Aaron has spent decades as a leader and innovator in the printing industry, leading and growing businesses, while increasing profitability. His impressive track record is bringing a wave of development and progress to Dickinson," said Martin Stein, Blackford Capital's Founder and Managing Director. "We are excited to welcome Aaron, and know that he is the right person to lead this great company."

Further Background Information

Prior to leading Trend Offset Printing, Day held major roles as VP of sales at Creel Printing LLC and director of technology at Creo Products revitalizing both companies through technological improvements and sales development. While at Creel Printing, Day reorganized underperforming groups, focusing on innovation and key markets. As the Director of Technology at Creo Products, Day targeted the development of disruptive technologies, leading to its acquisition by Kodak. Day holds Bachelor Degrees in International Relations and Political Science from Wake Forest University.

Before forming The Ruther Group, Ruther held positions including Director of Finance for Motus Integrated Technologies, a portfolio company of Atlas Holdings, leading ERP transitions and consolidations between international locations. Ruther developed his skill set through his tenure at Univar USA (formerly CHEMCENTRAL Corp.) as he guided strategic planning in a multitude of roles, culminating in his position as CIO, prior to the company's acquisition by Univar in 2007. Ruther holds an MBA from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a Bachelor Degree in Business Administration from Central Michigan University.

Source: Blackford Capital.

The preceding press release was provided by a company unaffiliated with Printing Impressions. The views expressed within do not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of Printing Impressions.