Mountain Lakes, N.J. – Graphic Arts Advisors (GAA) welcomes Cecil R. (Rod) Bristol, CFE, as a Director at the firm. Based in Mountain Lakes, NJ, GAA is a strategic financial advisory and consulting firm devoted exclusively to all sectors of the graphic communications industry, primarily assisting company owners with mergers, acquisitions, restructuring and related services. Adding Bristol to its team further strengthens GAA’s ability to guide owners of printing, packaging and related companies to achieve their strategic and financial goals.

“Rod brings deep experience to the GAA team of professional advisors who know the graphic communications industry ‘from the inside out,’ having owned and managed their own printing companies,” noted Mark Hahn, GAA Managing Director. “Rod is a highly respected printing industry veteran who built a multi-unit chain of printing centers through a series of acquisitions. Based in Seattle, he strengthens GAA’s presence on the west coast where the firm is already active, bringing local industry knowledge, relationships and reach to GAA’s national footprint. We are very pleased to welcome him to GAA.”

Bristol is the former owner of Sudden Printing, Inc., which, at the time, was the largest independent quick printing company in Washington, with 19 locations and a centralized commercial printing division. He served as President from 1984 to 2007, when the firm was sold. Rod has since provided companies with strategic financial information as Executive Vice President, Profit Mastery, Seattle, Washington, and at Fastsigns International Inc., Carrollton, Texas. In the latter role, he assisted franchisees seeking to grow their operations through acquisition. This experience has given him insights into the specific issues faced by franchisees seeking to acquire or sell their firm, which differ from those of independent companies. Concurrent with his new role at GAA, Rod is a speaker at numerous industry events on a range of financial topics under the auspices of Profit Soup in Seattle. Rod also is a columnist for Multi- Unit Franchisee magazine.

“I am very excited to be joining GAA at a time when, for the next 10 years at least, the industry is going to be very active in terms of company sales, with many owners reaching the age where they are seeking successful exit strategies for their firms,” Rod said. “Those owners who plan ahead, who do what they can to create a more profitable company with a sustainable EBITDA, will attract more qualified buyers and are more likely to be rewarded with a higher price and more favorable transaction structure. GAA can provide wise counsel to owners in preparing for and executing what will most likely be the biggest deal of their lives.”

Rod joins the rest of the GAA professional team in advising the firm’s clients in a range of strategic objectives, including company sales and acquisitions.