Archimedia Solutions Group Acquires Makepeace, Inc.!!!

Archmedia Solutions Group (ASG), founded by Mark DiPasquale and Jane Simmons back around 2006, just announced its acquisition of Makepeace, Inc.  (Prior to founding ASG, Mark was President of Service Point  USA and Jane was Vice President of Service Point USA’s On-Site Services business segment.  ASG is based in the Boston, MA area.)

Makepeace, Inc., also based in the Boston area and founded in 1895, is one of the oldest firms in the reprographics industry in the United States. Makepeace s a member of RSA (Reprographic Services Association.)

“B.L. Makepeace, Inc. is a supplier of Engineering, Construction, and Surveying supplies; Reprographic and Large Format Color Graphic Services. We sell and service plotters from Océ, Canon, and HP. We sell surveying supplies from Topcon, Seco & more.”

The combination of these two companies propels ASG to the position of one of the largest reprographics services enterprises east of the Mississippi.

Press Release from ASG

Archimedia Solutions Group Announces Acquisition of B.L. Makepeace, Inc.

Combined On-Site Print Management Experience to Serve Architectural and Engineering Community with Unprecedented Level of Customer Service

Danvers, MA – October 1, 2017 - Archimedia Solutions Group, a company dedicated to on-site print management solutions for architects and engineers, today announces the acquisition of B.L. Makepeace, Inc., a highly respected and venerable supplier of engineering, construction and surveying supplies for more than 120 years. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

With both companies serving the same marketplace, the acquisition allows Archimedia to apply its progressive, solution-driven model to a much broader client base and create a greater level of responsiveness and service across the spectrum of equipment and supply sourcing, maintenance and service, administration and advisory services associated with modern print technology.

Archimedia was formed in 2006 and offers on-site print management including cost recovery solutions, technical support, and exceptional customer service. While Makepeace has seen, and adapted to, many industry transformations over the past century, the company today is a supplier of Engineering, Construction and Surveying supplies from Oce, Canon, HP, Topcon, Seco and more.

“Based on the similarity of our missions and the amazing legacy Makepeace has forged since 1895, we’re both humbled and honored to bring our two companies together for continued success serving the architectural, construction, engineering and surveying markets,” said Mark DiPasquale, co-founder of Archimedia. “Our traits are nearly identical from high levels of service and responsiveness to the implementation of solution-driven innovations, Archimedia is extremely proud to be the caretakers of the Makepeace legacy, its goodwill and the relationships it has built for more than a century.”

“Since the World War II era, Makepeace has grown under its current owners and I am personally grateful to every employee – present and past – who has contributed to our success,” said Paul Hallisey, president of B.L. Makepeace. “Today is not the end of their efforts. Instead, we see this as a new beginning with an even more successful future and we’ve entrusted Archimedia with our company’s heritage because of the cultural fit we see between the two companies and the services we will offer for generations to come.”

“We have experienced a decade of rapid and continual growth in markets across the U.S. and already seen massive consolidation within the vertical,” said Jane Simmons, co-founder of Archimedia. “When we were founded 11 years ago, traditional copy centers were still very much a part of the marketplace. However, our business model proved to outpace brick and mortar service providers and now – by combing our two companies’ best practices – we have an amazing opportunity to provide our new client base with significant benefits by applying a level of responsive and flexible customer service by establishing greater control over technology and ongoing support while also having access to the industries’ best supplies.”

Today’s acquisition will create a combined professional services team of more than 60 employees operating in 28 states with a current primary service area of suburban and metropolitan Boston, Hartford and Rhode Island.

About Archimedia

Archimedia Solutions Group was formed in 2006 by Mark DiPasquale and Jane Simmons as the only company exclusively dedicated to On -Site Print Management services for architects and engineers throughout the United States. Archimedia provides clients with cost recovery solutions, technical support, and exceptional customer service. The company has been recognized as one of the “Best Entrepreneurial Companies in America” by Entrepreneur magazine and has been included in annual rankings from the Boston Business Journal’s Pacesetters and Inc. magazine’s Inc. 5000 list which assesses fast growing private companies.

Makepeace “History”:

https://makepeace.com/about-us/history

Makepeace Web-site:

https://makepeace.com

Archimedia Solutions Group Web-site:

http://www.archimediasg.com

Blain Topel is joining the Crisp Imaging Team

Crisp Imaging is the largest “independent” reprographics enterprise in the State of California.  At the present time, Crisp Imaging operates 8 locations (Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego markets).

For those of you who don’t know, or know of, Blain Topel, Blain is definitely  “a player” in our industry.  Blain worked at Rowley-Scher Reprographics (Washington/Baltimore) back in the early 1980’s.  (I was with Rowley-Scher at that time, so I do know Blain personally.)  Blain left Rowley-Scher to open his own company, Topel Digital Imaging (Washington, DC.)  Blain later sold Topel Digital Imaging to ABC Imaging.  Blain was with ABC Imaging for nearly 20 years, during which time ABC grew from a Washington, DC operation into a semi-nationwide and international enterprise.  Blain was a senior officer at ABC Imaging. Blain resigned from ABC Imaging sometime around June or July 2016.

Hearty congratulations to Blain and best wishes to him for outstanding success with Crisp Imaging!

Cory Deermount appointed to President of Air Graphics

Congratulations to Cory on his new position at Air Graphics.

For those of you who do not know, or know of, Cory, he is a very experienced reprographics industry veteran.  (Emphasis on the word, “very.”)

It’s my understanding that Cory began working in the industry at The Blueprint Company in New York City..  (I met John Deermount, former CEO of The Blueprint Company, sometime back in the 1980’s.  Great guy.) 

After ARC acquired The Blueprint Company, Cory stayed on in NY, but was later relocated to TRS (Tampa Reprographics) in Tampa (also by then an ARC-owned business.)  If my recollection of this is correct, sometime after ARC acquired NGI (the business I was formerly with), ARC merged the operations of NGI and TRS and, at some point, Cory was with the ARC-NGI operation. That’s actually when I met Cory; I was retired from NGI at the time, but on a visit to NGI’s HQ office in Tampa, I was introduced to him by either Bob Paschal or Greg Williams.  Based on my discussions with Cory, it was easy to tell that he was “a player.”  (And an extremely nice guy.)  Prior to accepting a position with Air Graphics in Boston (Mike Cully made a wise move to recruit Cory), Cory also spent time as the General Manager of Bob Roperti’s Jiffy Reprographics’ operation in Clearwater, FL, across the bay from Tampa.

So, by my count (and I could be wrong about this), Cory has been with these reprographics industry companies:

The Blueprint Company (NY)

Tampa Reprographics Services (Tampa, FL)

National Graphic Imaging-NGI (Based in Tampa, multiple offices in FL)

Jiffy Reprographics (Clearwater, FL)

Air Graphics (Boston MA)

Congratulations to Cory on his move up at Air Graphics!