Full-service Las Vegas printer acquires Georgia shop

Horizons Business Solutions (HBS), a business services firm located in Alpharetta, GA with special expertise in the printing industry, is pleased to partner with Rapid Color Printing, a premier full-service commercial printer located in Las Vegas. HBS provided business and financial guidance to Rapid Color as it expanded into the Southeast with the successful acquisition of American Craftsman Technology Trade Center, LLC (ACTTC), a family-owned, award-winning, high-quality  commercial printer in Atlanta. The sale was completed in 60 days, ending on March 31st, 2014. 

“We are delighted that Rapid Color chose to retain us to complete its expansion,” says Gerald Whitlow, executive partner at HBS. “Using our in-depth knowledge of the printing industry and our consultative  approach, we were able help Rapid Color quickly determine the cost and profit benefits of acquiring a second printing business, versus purchasing new equipment along with the associated expansion costs for the Las Vegas facility. It has been great to work with all parties in this transaction.”

Rapid Color called on Horizons Business Solutions after experiencing exceptional growth over the last three years with a significant portion of its work being shipped to the Southeast. “The process was complicated but we were outgrowing our capacity in Nevada and HBS helped to show us that it made more sense to purchase a company, strategically located, instead of just adding another press in Las Vegas,” says David Huckabay, Rapid Color’s president. “We were pleased to work with HBS because we not only needed a printing company; we also needed additional equipment and funding for the whole project. HBS provided guidance, brought potential companies for us to consider, helped us acquire the equipment we needed to add, and then put together the funding. In the end they handled the whole process.”

Since the acquisition of ACTTC, Rapid Color has added capacity and is already producing work within the 30,000 sq ft facility on its two state-of-the-art six-color 40-inch presses with aqueous coaters and a short-run digital press. Plus, the facility offers room for expansion as Rapid Color grows.

“This acquisition allows us to produce work for a major client closer to its facility in this part of the country and provide better service to them. We are also excited now to be a part of the print community in greater Atlanta. We look forward to supporting the employee base, associations and vendors here,” says Huckabay.