Local printing companies Vivid Ink Graphics and First Graphix have announced they will merge, creating a combined entity with some 100 employees and three production facilities, including two in Baton Rouge.
Under the terms of the deal, which is not expected to be finalized until early June, Vivid Ink Graphics co-owner Stephen St. Cyr will be the majority owner of the new company, which will operate under the Vivid Ink Graphics name. His co-owners will be Colin Keller, who has been his partner in Vivid Ink, as well as First Graphix owners Chris Weilenman and Margaret Thompson-Crifasi.
Vivid Ink has grown rapidly over the years and in January acquired Denham Springs-based Acadian Signs.
The current merger makes sense for both companies, St. Cyr explains. Though Vivid Ink was the larger of the two, it didn’t do any offset printing and would farm out that work to subcontractors, often First Graphix. On the other hand, First Graphix and the brands they serve have need for additional capacity, which Vivid Ink is able to provide.
“Like I told our employees this morning when we announced this, one plus one usually equals two. But sometimes it equals three,” he says. “Our two companies are better off together.”
The combined company will have projected revenues in excess of $13 million. In 2015, Vivid Ink did nearly $9 million worth of business while First Graphix did $4.2 million.
Both companies have a significant presence in the food service industries, with Vivid Ink serving Raising Cane’s and Community Coffee and First Graphix serving McAlister’s, and Capriotti’s, among others. With operations in both New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Vivid Ink also has a large presence serving the financial services industries and has 1,000 local customers throughout the area.
Under the terms of the merger, Vivid Ink will maintain both its Airline Highway production facility and its production facility on Poydras Street in downtown New Orleans, as well as First Graphix’s site on Industriplex Boulevard.
—Stephanie Riegel
