Brentwood, TN

IF THIS magazine chose to hand out an award for the biggest newsmaker of the year, the 2008 honor would go to Quebecor World (QW), hands down. One might contend that the attention, while merited, is not the type of exposure a company would want: Financing issues, trying to sell an unprofitable venture and muddling through with bankruptcy in two countries. But Quebecor World is a printer for our economic times, the No. 2 in North America at a time when market leaders (Circuit City, AIG, Lehman Bros.) have come crashing down.

BALTIMORE—M&A negotiations, like fishing, can sometimes take more patience than most people are willing to demonstrate. That wasn’t the case in the nearly year-long saga between Vertis Communications and American Color Graphics. It takes a little patience and knowledge in both M&A negotiations and the nuances of reorganizational laws to follow the deal Vertis finally hammered down with Brentwood, TN-based American Color Graphics. The companies announced merger and comprehensive restructuring plans that will strengthen their finances, expand their North American footprint and improve their respective product and service offerings. Both companies have struggled in the time since they originally signed a Letter of