(November 03, 2008) Vista Graphic Communications, an Indianapolis-based company specializing in printing, packaging, dimensional mail, point-of-purchase and fulfillment, and Centennial Press—Printing and Mailing, an Indianapolis-based company specializing in personalized and bulk direct mail, digital printing and data analytics, today announced a strategic merger.

The merger will be effective Friday, October 31, 2008. The combined company will operate under the Vista name.

“The merger of Vista and Centennial creates a company that offers one of the largest arrays of marketing services in the region,” said Vista president Tim Rolfsen.

“Under the leadership of Steve Connor, Centennial has demonstrated true excellence in printing and direct mail services. They were an early adopter of digital technology, variable data printing and data analytics. Most recently, they have added personalized URLs to their marketing mix to help customers drive higher response rates and deliver more accurate measurement of marketing effectiveness. The synergies created will be a huge benefit to customers who are seeking a single source solution to make, move and manage their marketing message. Whether that message is delivered through the mail stream, at the point-of-sale or by a sales rep, the combination of Vista and CPPM will place in our customers hands a robust set of tools and insight they may have never experienced before.”

While the transaction was structured as an acquisition of assets, the majority of Centennial employees will join Vista employees at the company’s plant on East 30th Street, including Centennial’s executive vice president Steve Connor, Jr., who will serve as plant manager of the combined company.

“Over the past year we have been pleased to provide data management, direct mail and digital printing services to Vista as they expanded their offerings to an increasingly diverse customer base,” commented Connor.

“In turn, Vista has provided us with the ability to cost-effectively meet our customers’ needs for 40-inch printing and back-end specialty finishing services, reducing costs, improving turn times and providing more creative options for our customers.

“As we at Centennial discussed our client-centered philosophy and company culture, we realized the value of creating a long-term relationship. We believe this merger will help us better serve all of our customers.” “The industry has seen a number of mergers between printing companies, largely to improve economies of scale,” added Rolfsen. “This is not one of those mergers. While we will experience some operating savings, this combination involves very little redundancy of services and will result in a noticeable increase in capabilities, expertise and cost saving synergies for customers.”

The combined company will have 36 employees, more than 300 customers, an estimated $7.5 million in annual sales and an expected annual growth rate of 15 percent.

In addition to Indiana customers, the new company will serve customers in Chicago, Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, Louisville, Lexington, San Francisco.