The owners of A/E Graphics, from left: Tom Taubenheim, Dan Schmidt, Tim Davis, Joe Shaw
By Ed Avis
APDSP member company A/E Graphics & Epic Color in Brookfield, Wisconsin is growing. In early June the company bought B&L Graphic Solutions, a printing company with a diverse list of capabilities.
The relationship between the companies began a few years ago when A/E installed an Océ Arizona flatbed printer with double bed in B&L’s shop in Jackson, Wisconsin, which is about 25 minutes from Brookfield. They later installed a Colorado 1650 roll-to-roll printer.
“As we became more knowledgeable about their business and clientele, the thing that really struck my interest and that of my partners was the printing they did on corrugated cardboard,” says Tom Taubenheim, president of A/E. “That’s something we heard is one of the fastest growing services. It occurred to us that acquiring B&L would be better than trying to start that business from the ground up.”
In September Taubenheim asked the owner of B&L, Joe Bremberger, if he was considering retiring, and he said he was. That got the ball rolling, and the deal closed about nine months later. Bremberger is remaining with the company full-time through 2022, and part-time at least until April 2023. B&L’s other employees are also being retained.
Equipment in B&L's shop.
The advantages of buying B&L went beyond the addition of the corrugated printing market, Taubenheim says. Some of B&L’s equipment – such as a flatbed cutter, a sewing machine for making banners, and sealing and packing equipment for mailing finished goods – expands A/E’s capabilities. A/E Graphics already had their own flat bed printer and Colorado printer, but adding B&L’s gives the company expanded capacity and redundancy in case a machine breaks down.
But the biggest advantage is the new market opportunities. B&L, which was founded 15 years ago, served some industries that A/E was not previously serving, and since B&L’s shop is located 25 minutes away, it’s a different geographic market as well. They successfully negotiated a new lease with the landlord of B&L’s building, so the shop will remain in the same location.
“The acquisition of B&L provides A/E Graphics & Epic Color … added services including corrugated printing and prototyping for retail displays, high volume yard signs, banner and poster printing and small format color printing, including custom business cards and envelopes along with complete fulfillment services,” Taubenheim says. “And B&L clients will now have added services like wall/window/floor graphics design, printing and installation, environmental branding, and color plan printing.”
Taubenheim says he and his partners have decided to keep the B&L name for the time being. Doing so will provide continuity for the existing customers and maintain the brand recognition, he says.
Overall, the combination of the companies should keep business flowing, Taubenheim says: “It allows for more viability for many years to come.”