Greg Hrinya, Editor01.26.22
20 Carter Drive, Guilford, CT USA 06437
www.brookandwhittle.com
Brook + Whittle was founded in 1995 as a venture between partners in the commercial printing and prepress industry. The company that initially opened its doors in North Branford, CT, has blossomed into one of North America’s most prominent label converters.
The company started with a 10" Mark Andy 4150 press and has continued to grow ever since. Brook + Whittle emerged as an early adopter of UV curable flexo inks and later added screen to handle the demand in film. Today, Brook + Whittle has over 1,000 employees and operates nine production facilities in North Branford, CT, Guilford, CT, Amherst, NY, Croydon, PA, St. Louis, MO, Nashville, TN, Anaheim, CA, Jurupa Velly, CA, and Hamilton, OH.
In April 2018, Mark Pollard joined Brook + Whittle as CEO and has transformed the company’s operations. He strategically set Brook + Whittle on a forward trajectory following TruArc Partners’ (formerly Snow Phipps) initial investment in the company in October 2017.
Throughout its ownership, Brook + Whittle has made eight acquisitions in less than three years, focusing on companies that fit their culture and what they stand for. Keys to Brook + Whittle’s success during this time have been strategic investments in people and equipment, solid relationships with suppliers and a customer-centric approach.
“TruArc has positioned us well through all of our acquisitions. Their injection of new capital into our business allowed us to expand our geographic footprint, as well as add new printing and finishing equipment across all facilities,” says Pollard. “The most important piece to our partnership is the investment in people. We gained immense talent through these acquisitions and added a few key positions along the way.”
The company has also rebranded, fashioning itself as more than a label printer. Brook + Whittle strives to be a creative partner that optimizes brand performance in a competitive marketplace. Its work balances performance, aesthetics, cost and sustainability. Meanwhile, Brook + Whittle’s heritage is rooted in product development and comprehensive in-house manufacturing. The company draws on a wide variety of specialized printing expertise, including flexographic, rotogravure and digital to create some of the most eye-catching labels in the industry.
“We rarely say no to a customer and do a lot of things other label converters won’t do,” explains Pollard. “We push the technological limits of our equipment to provide a wide palette of design capabilities for our brands.”
All of this made Brook + Whittle into the premier label printer it is today, prompting the sale of the company from TruArc Partners to Genstar Capital in mid-December 2021. This new partnership with Genstar comes at a pivotal point in Brook + Whittle’s timeline, as the company is well positioned to accelerate its growth and expand its global reach.
Growth strategy
Perhaps no trend has been more relevant in the label and package printing industry than mergers and acquisitions. And when it comes to M&A activity, Brook + Whittle has emerged as one of the industry’s leaders. The company isn’t focused on the size of the acquisition target, rather it focuses on companies with a strong financial track record and a culture that aligns with its company values.
Acquisitions have helped Brook + Whittle in numerous ways. Not only has the company gained faster speeds to market and exceptional customer service around the country, Brook + Whittle has gained access to great people and product knowledge.
The Brook + Whittle acquisition and onboarding team prides itself on quick and seamless transitions. The team’s goal is to make every employee a part of the team on day one of the acquisition announcement, and to ensure the employees feel secure in their continued employment. Many owners decide to keep an active role in the company but step away from the day-to-day and financial obligations of owning a business.
After eight acquisitions, Brook + Whittle has a streamlined integration process with clear advantages. A typical company joining the Brook + Whittle family can expect scaled operations, shared best practices, optimizing capacity across all sites and cross pollination of talent and projects.
“We are not about buying and closing companies. We invest heavily in these acquisitions, allowing us to create further growth that they may not have been able to do under their current ownership structure,” says Pollard. “Private equity gives us the capital needed, and we have built a talented team to execute our M&A playbook. Since integrating our previous acquisitions, the word is starting to get out that Brook + Whittle is a great company to merge with. We have an ambition for growth here and M&A plays a significant role in that. We have become an attractive target to many printing businesses looking to grow their business and inject capital.”
Long-term Partnerships
Through all of Brook + Whittle’s acquisitions, supplier partnerships and collaboration have been instrumental to its success. This has never been more evident than during the past 18 months, as the company has worked diligently with suppliers to help its customers get their products to consumers.
“We have had a rough year with material inflation, equipment delays and supply constraints. We rely heavily on our suppliers to help us manage these tough times and keep our customers in supply,” says Daryl Northcott, VP of Marketing, Innovation + Procurement.
The ambitious growth plans with new ownership will require tighter supplier relationships with a greater emphasis on security of supply. Brook + Whittle will continue to drive scale into their operations and leverage their supplier relationships to create an agile supply chain for its customers.
“We are looking for suppliers that can help us during the good times but also the bad. We bring a level of trust and transparency to each supplier relationship and strive to build long-term success together,” adds Northcott.
The next frontier
Several of Brook + Whittle’s acquisitions have been aimed at expanding the company’s breadth of digital printing solutions. These acquisitions, in addition to Brook + Whittle’s existing digital capabilities, are helping the company meet demand for fast turnaround times, customization and shorter runs. Brook + Whittle’s expansion into digital will further contribute to the company’s future growth.
Digital printing will help Brook + Whittle further its wide book of business. Premium beverage has been the cornerstone of the company’s business for many years, but the markets it now serves are expanding significantly. Health and beauty, home care, food and craft beverage have a much larger footprint for Brook + Whittle today. Complex decoration within digital is also a focus, as brands continue to push the envelope on what decoration is possible in printing and finishing.
“The capabilities of digital have advanced significantly, and we have found the look and feel of digital printing is approaching that of traditional flexo,” states Pollard. “Our customers value speed-to-market and the design flexibility that digital provides, as well as the ability to mitigate inventory obsolescence. Digital printing is going to be a driving force in our industry for many years to come.”
As Brook + Whittle expands its digital capabilities, the company is also expanding its e-commerce platform with the acquisition of Wizard Labels. Wizard utilizes the digital assets within the company to deliver custom labels with fast lead-times. Brook + Whittle has also expanded this online platform internationally, with the launch of Wizard Labels in Mexico and Sprink in the United Kingdom. Brook + Whittle plans to launch Sprink in nine other countries within the next 12 months, too.
“It has been a wild ride since I joined as president of Wizard Labels,” says Nick Gierut. “Jumping straight into multiple expansion projects, a rebrand and the onboarding of new team members has been quite the undertaking. Now with the sale to Genstar, we have the added horsepower to bring the project to close. “
A green future
Brook + Whittle prides itself on being a sustainable packaging leader in North America. The company’s goal is to help its customers succeed while building a future that’s better for the planet. Brook +Whittle strives for 100% of its customers to be using its most sustainable products.
The data backs up these initiatives, too. Brook + Whittle has sold more than 14 billion sustainable labels, with more than 110 clients taking advantage of these services. Brook + Whittle is also currently working through a $60 million sustainable innovation pipeline.
“At Brook + Whittle, we believe great packaging balances aesthetics, performance, cost and sustainability,” comments Pollard. “And, we’re open about our goal to get 100% of our customers using sustainable products. That said, we don’t have the luxury of putting principles ahead of practicality. We balance them with industry best-practices and business goals while carefully rationalizing each decision.
“In our business, this translates to a steady sustainable innovation pipeline, providing a patient and thorough consultative sales process, and using our relationships with our customers to educate and influence along the way,” he adds. “We meet our customers where they are in their sustainability journey and provide a simple ‘good, better, best’ structure to help them choose solutions that advance their goals over time.”
As part of its vision for a more sustainable future, Brook + Whittle participates in industry associations like CELAB, The Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR), The Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC), and The Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (SGP).
“We continuously drive our sustainability initiatives forward, and one way we do this is through industry partnerships because we realize that collaboration is key in building a circular economy in labels and packaging,” states Tyler Matusevich, director of sustainability. “I am excited by Brook + Whittle’s commitment to and passion for helping brands achieve their sustainability goals. Through our partnerships, we will work to create a more vibrant future.”
In its new partnership with Genstar, Brook + Whittle has increased its ambition levels and intends to grow significantly through M&A, digitalization and sustainability. The company boasts a robust track record and aims to continue serving as a premier label manufacturer for many years to come.
www.brookandwhittle.com
Brook + Whittle was founded in 1995 as a venture between partners in the commercial printing and prepress industry. The company that initially opened its doors in North Branford, CT, has blossomed into one of North America’s most prominent label converters.
The company started with a 10" Mark Andy 4150 press and has continued to grow ever since. Brook + Whittle emerged as an early adopter of UV curable flexo inks and later added screen to handle the demand in film. Today, Brook + Whittle has over 1,000 employees and operates nine production facilities in North Branford, CT, Guilford, CT, Amherst, NY, Croydon, PA, St. Louis, MO, Nashville, TN, Anaheim, CA, Jurupa Velly, CA, and Hamilton, OH.
In April 2018, Mark Pollard joined Brook + Whittle as CEO and has transformed the company’s operations. He strategically set Brook + Whittle on a forward trajectory following TruArc Partners’ (formerly Snow Phipps) initial investment in the company in October 2017.
Throughout its ownership, Brook + Whittle has made eight acquisitions in less than three years, focusing on companies that fit their culture and what they stand for. Keys to Brook + Whittle’s success during this time have been strategic investments in people and equipment, solid relationships with suppliers and a customer-centric approach.
“TruArc has positioned us well through all of our acquisitions. Their injection of new capital into our business allowed us to expand our geographic footprint, as well as add new printing and finishing equipment across all facilities,” says Pollard. “The most important piece to our partnership is the investment in people. We gained immense talent through these acquisitions and added a few key positions along the way.”
The company has also rebranded, fashioning itself as more than a label printer. Brook + Whittle strives to be a creative partner that optimizes brand performance in a competitive marketplace. Its work balances performance, aesthetics, cost and sustainability. Meanwhile, Brook + Whittle’s heritage is rooted in product development and comprehensive in-house manufacturing. The company draws on a wide variety of specialized printing expertise, including flexographic, rotogravure and digital to create some of the most eye-catching labels in the industry.
“We rarely say no to a customer and do a lot of things other label converters won’t do,” explains Pollard. “We push the technological limits of our equipment to provide a wide palette of design capabilities for our brands.”
All of this made Brook + Whittle into the premier label printer it is today, prompting the sale of the company from TruArc Partners to Genstar Capital in mid-December 2021. This new partnership with Genstar comes at a pivotal point in Brook + Whittle’s timeline, as the company is well positioned to accelerate its growth and expand its global reach.
Growth strategy
Perhaps no trend has been more relevant in the label and package printing industry than mergers and acquisitions. And when it comes to M&A activity, Brook + Whittle has emerged as one of the industry’s leaders. The company isn’t focused on the size of the acquisition target, rather it focuses on companies with a strong financial track record and a culture that aligns with its company values.
Acquisitions have helped Brook + Whittle in numerous ways. Not only has the company gained faster speeds to market and exceptional customer service around the country, Brook + Whittle has gained access to great people and product knowledge.
The Brook + Whittle acquisition and onboarding team prides itself on quick and seamless transitions. The team’s goal is to make every employee a part of the team on day one of the acquisition announcement, and to ensure the employees feel secure in their continued employment. Many owners decide to keep an active role in the company but step away from the day-to-day and financial obligations of owning a business.
After eight acquisitions, Brook + Whittle has a streamlined integration process with clear advantages. A typical company joining the Brook + Whittle family can expect scaled operations, shared best practices, optimizing capacity across all sites and cross pollination of talent and projects.
“We are not about buying and closing companies. We invest heavily in these acquisitions, allowing us to create further growth that they may not have been able to do under their current ownership structure,” says Pollard. “Private equity gives us the capital needed, and we have built a talented team to execute our M&A playbook. Since integrating our previous acquisitions, the word is starting to get out that Brook + Whittle is a great company to merge with. We have an ambition for growth here and M&A plays a significant role in that. We have become an attractive target to many printing businesses looking to grow their business and inject capital.”
Long-term Partnerships
Through all of Brook + Whittle’s acquisitions, supplier partnerships and collaboration have been instrumental to its success. This has never been more evident than during the past 18 months, as the company has worked diligently with suppliers to help its customers get their products to consumers.
“We have had a rough year with material inflation, equipment delays and supply constraints. We rely heavily on our suppliers to help us manage these tough times and keep our customers in supply,” says Daryl Northcott, VP of Marketing, Innovation + Procurement.
The ambitious growth plans with new ownership will require tighter supplier relationships with a greater emphasis on security of supply. Brook + Whittle will continue to drive scale into their operations and leverage their supplier relationships to create an agile supply chain for its customers.
“We are looking for suppliers that can help us during the good times but also the bad. We bring a level of trust and transparency to each supplier relationship and strive to build long-term success together,” adds Northcott.
The next frontier
Several of Brook + Whittle’s acquisitions have been aimed at expanding the company’s breadth of digital printing solutions. These acquisitions, in addition to Brook + Whittle’s existing digital capabilities, are helping the company meet demand for fast turnaround times, customization and shorter runs. Brook + Whittle’s expansion into digital will further contribute to the company’s future growth.
Digital printing will help Brook + Whittle further its wide book of business. Premium beverage has been the cornerstone of the company’s business for many years, but the markets it now serves are expanding significantly. Health and beauty, home care, food and craft beverage have a much larger footprint for Brook + Whittle today. Complex decoration within digital is also a focus, as brands continue to push the envelope on what decoration is possible in printing and finishing.
“The capabilities of digital have advanced significantly, and we have found the look and feel of digital printing is approaching that of traditional flexo,” states Pollard. “Our customers value speed-to-market and the design flexibility that digital provides, as well as the ability to mitigate inventory obsolescence. Digital printing is going to be a driving force in our industry for many years to come.”
As Brook + Whittle expands its digital capabilities, the company is also expanding its e-commerce platform with the acquisition of Wizard Labels. Wizard utilizes the digital assets within the company to deliver custom labels with fast lead-times. Brook + Whittle has also expanded this online platform internationally, with the launch of Wizard Labels in Mexico and Sprink in the United Kingdom. Brook + Whittle plans to launch Sprink in nine other countries within the next 12 months, too.
“It has been a wild ride since I joined as president of Wizard Labels,” says Nick Gierut. “Jumping straight into multiple expansion projects, a rebrand and the onboarding of new team members has been quite the undertaking. Now with the sale to Genstar, we have the added horsepower to bring the project to close. “
A green future
Brook + Whittle prides itself on being a sustainable packaging leader in North America. The company’s goal is to help its customers succeed while building a future that’s better for the planet. Brook +Whittle strives for 100% of its customers to be using its most sustainable products.
The data backs up these initiatives, too. Brook + Whittle has sold more than 14 billion sustainable labels, with more than 110 clients taking advantage of these services. Brook + Whittle is also currently working through a $60 million sustainable innovation pipeline.
“At Brook + Whittle, we believe great packaging balances aesthetics, performance, cost and sustainability,” comments Pollard. “And, we’re open about our goal to get 100% of our customers using sustainable products. That said, we don’t have the luxury of putting principles ahead of practicality. We balance them with industry best-practices and business goals while carefully rationalizing each decision.
“In our business, this translates to a steady sustainable innovation pipeline, providing a patient and thorough consultative sales process, and using our relationships with our customers to educate and influence along the way,” he adds. “We meet our customers where they are in their sustainability journey and provide a simple ‘good, better, best’ structure to help them choose solutions that advance their goals over time.”
As part of its vision for a more sustainable future, Brook + Whittle participates in industry associations like CELAB, The Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR), The Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC), and The Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (SGP).
“We continuously drive our sustainability initiatives forward, and one way we do this is through industry partnerships because we realize that collaboration is key in building a circular economy in labels and packaging,” states Tyler Matusevich, director of sustainability. “I am excited by Brook + Whittle’s commitment to and passion for helping brands achieve their sustainability goals. Through our partnerships, we will work to create a more vibrant future.”
In its new partnership with Genstar, Brook + Whittle has increased its ambition levels and intends to grow significantly through M&A, digitalization and sustainability. The company boasts a robust track record and aims to continue serving as a premier label manufacturer for many years to come.
