EFFINGHAM — Kingery Printing Co. of Effingham, IL publicly announced Tuesday that it has signed a letter of intent to acquire United Graphics, LLC of Mattoon, IL. Under the agreement, United Graphics and its Mattoon facility at 2916 Marshall Ave. will become part of the Kingery Printing organization. Kingery Printing has a headquarters and manufacturing facility in Effingham, as well as a plant in Henry, IL.
Kingery Printing was founded in 1968 in Effingham by John and Dolores Kingery and is now owned by their children. United Graphics, founded in 1971, is owned and operated by John Wurtsbaugh, Joshua Wurtsbaugh, and Stan Freeman.
During a plant meeting held Thursday at United Graphics, Kingery Printing President Michael Kingery named John Wurtsbaugh as a chief operating officer of Kingery Printing, overseeing operations at all three facilities. Additionally, Kingery named Joshua Wurtsbaugh as the plant manager of the United Graphics Division and Stan Freeman as a senior account executive.
“There are a number of synergies between Kingery Printing and United Graphics that make this a very positive move for our companies, our customers, our employees, and our communities,” Kingery said in a press release. “The proximity of our plants and the high level of expertise, enthusiasm, and dedication to customer service on the part of both companies’ leadership and staffs means that we will be in an even stronger position to deliver on our top priority of offering state-of-the art-services and continuing to enhance our customer’s experience.”
Kingery said the United Graphics facility will continue to build on its reputation as a source for high-quality printing and book-binding products. He said the acquisition brings together a comprehensive service offering that includes prepress; digital, sheetfed, and web press technologies; and a full slate of finishing options, including stitching, perfect binding, and mechanical binding; as well as in-line, near-line, and co-mailing capabilities.
“By merging our equipment and our service offering into Kingery Printing, and — importantly — bringing together our very talented and experienced staff, we have a combined organization that can reach new markets and expand our footprint with existing clients, helping us grow from a strength position. This benefits our company, our employees, and our clients,” John Wurtsbaugh said in a press release. The companies anticipate closing the transaction on Dec. 1.
Kingery said, via email, Tuesday afternoon that Kingery Printing’s home office and manufacturing facility in Effingham employs 146 staff members, and the Henry facility employs an additional 50 workers. He said United Graphics employs 105 staff members, so Kingery Printing will have a total of about 300 employees when the acquisition is completed.
“One of the most appealing features of the acquisition is the staff of professionals each company has. The proximity of the Effingham and Mattoon plants will allow each facility to gain the support from the skill sets within each group,” Kingery said.
Kingery Printing serves 14 of the largest restaurant chains in North America with printed products, Kingery said. He added that this business sector is continuing to show strong growth for Kingery Printing, so the company intends to maintain its staffing levels to continue to serve these clients.
“Along with the menus, Kingery Printing also specializes in the manufacture of magazines and catalogs, while United Graphics serves the book publishing market. These two strong second-generation family businesses serve unique accounts and will complement each other nicely in the marketplace,” Kingery said.
