Edison, NJ - National Publisher Services, a strategic outsource solution for publishers, announced today that Henry and David Fry have acquired a 50-percent interest in NPS. Additionally, NPS announced that it has acquired Circulation Specialists Inc. and that industry veteran John LeBrun has joined NPS as a partner and as chief executive officer of CSI. The announcements were made by Mark Harris, NPS chief executive officer, and are effective immediately.

“We are excited to start the new year with such great news,” said NPS CEO Mark Harris. “Partnering with Henry Fry, the president and owner of Fry Communications, and David Fry, chief technology officer, allows us to combine our resources in offering publishers a total strategic solution to meet today’s publishing challenges. The acquisition of CSI fits perfectly into our combined strategic growth plans, and John LeBrun’s background in circulation and marketing, along with his history of developing strong teams in the publishing industry, makes him the ideal executive to manage the acquisition.”

The Frys made the investment through NPI Ventures, their vehicle for non-print initiatives and investments. “The affiliation with Fry Communications provides a platform for growth for both NPS and its customers,” Harris added.

Through the new partnership and acquisition National Publisher Services will now offer solutions in the following four core publishing areas:
- Retail Sales Development – Newsstand sales consulting, management, and operations
- Audience Development (CSI) – Full-service circulation outsource activities, including modeling, budgeting, new subscription acquisitions, list rental management, ABC, BPA and postal audits, fulfillment house liaison, and reporting of all source activity, including new business, billing, and renewals
- Publishing Services – Offering both ongoing and one-shot custom publishing, NPS allows publishers and content providers value-added services with group pricing efficiencies.
- Digital (Thumb Media Group) – Development of made-for-mobile, rich-media publications through the production, licensing, and publication of content through proprietary, patent pending, mobile, and tablet publishing platforms

LeBrun, a publishing veteran with more than 30 years of direct marketing and circulation experience, said, “I am thrilled to be joining NPS and leading CSI, along with former CSI owners Greg Wolfe, president, and Beverly Chaloux, executive vice president, who will continue on in their roles. The marriage of NPS and CSI is a publisher’s dream. When you add the experience of Henry and David Fry to the mix you really have an unprecedented combination of skills. I look forward to working with and learning from the teams at our respective companies and am excited to bring my experience into the equation.”

LeBrun, who took over as CEO on January 3, spent the last two years at The Saturday Evening Post as chief marketing officer. Prior to that, he was senior vice president, Circulation Marketing and Catalog Marketing, at Reiman Publications (currently Reader’s Digest Milwaukee). At Reiman, he managed all aspects of consumer marketing for the company’s 16 million circulation magazines and Country Store catalog.