Excelsior Purchases Greeting Card Publisher Oatmeal Studios

NORTH ADAMS, MA—Feb. 1, 2011—Excelsior has purchased the assets and business of Oatmeal Studios of Rochester, VT. Oatmeal Studios has been creating and distributing humorous greeting cards and notepads to thousands of retail outlets nation-wide for over 30 years, and offers over 400 designs that feature unique, colorful graphics and on-the-mark humor. All products are manufactured in the U.S. and the greeting cards are printed with vegetable-based inks on recycled paper.

Excelsior has been producing greeting cards for Oatmeal Studios for over 20 years and jumped at the opportunity to acquire the business when founders/owners Helene and Joe Massimino decided to move on to other pursuits.

While researching possible acquisitions with the help of Stepping Stone Capital Partners, Excelsior was on the lookout for a business that would utilize its current assets,while adding value to the company.

“We think it’s a great fit,” said Joe Massimino, “Excelsior has been a part of Oatmeal Studios almost from the beginning and they have a stationery pedigree of their own that will serve Oatmeal Studios’ customers well into the future.”

Excelsior’s owner, David Crane, added, “We are very excited to bring Oatmeal Studios into the Excelsior family. By joining our resources together we expect to be able to continue to strengthen and grow the business.”

Joseph (Joe) Gallagher has joined Excelsior as general manager for Oatmeal Studios and will head the operations while Bill Matthews will continue to manage sales and marketing. Gallagher says, “Oatmeal Studios’ 30 years of success has come one card at a time. By listening to the market, Oatmeal Studios has continued to deliver the cards customers want and retailers demand. This is a great opportunity for both companies to come together and join forces, I’m looking forward to growing the next thirty years, one card at a time!”

Over the last few years Excelsior has made a number of investments to better serve its customers.

“Since we separated from Crane & Co. in 2005, we have added digital printing, mailing and fulfillment and reinvested in the latest offset printing equipment. In addition, we made a similar acquisition in 2008 when we purchased SeedPrint, a provider of specialty seed packaging for retail seed sellers,” said Crane. “These ventures have allowed us to build upon proven brands, within their respective categories, and better utilize our talents and our facility.”

By tapping into the strengths of the combined companies, Excelsior hopes to expand Oatmeal’s capabilities and support the business needs of its customers while exploring new markets for growth.

Source: Press release.