FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Charlestown, MA and Chesterland, OH – Acme Bookbinding Company (Acme) and The HF Group (HFG) are pleased to announce a new partnership and that, effective immediately, these two established family businesses have merged.

"The book manufacturing industry has experienced rapid change as the Internet Revolution has necessitated new products and services. With this merger, Acme and HFG not only leverage their strengths in mature markets, but increase their capacity in growing markets. Acme and HFG, while growing and investing in these new markets will continue to preserve historic treasures, build tomorrow’s collectible, convert analog to digital for wider access, store and secure data, deliver a book that memorializes a life, or a creative dream, and with a product that always brings a smile," said Paul Parisi, President of Acme.

The focus of the new company will be to provide affordable products that exceed client expectations in its core book and binding markets, while growing in emerging markets. Jim Heckman, Vice President of The HF Group, said, "By joining forces, our new company will increase manufacturing scale so that we can be the best provider for the continuing demand for high-quality traditional book products, but more importantly, strengthen our capability in growth areas such as short-run digital and on-demand books."

Jay Fairfield, President of The HF Group says, "Publishers, scholastic, and library markets, booksellers, printers and binders are all looking for partners and service providers who evolve, grow and remain financially strong as industry paradigms change. The heart of this merger and the partnership among the Parisi, Heckman and Fairfield families is our combined experience, manufacturing resources and leadership in our core markets as well as in our growth markets."

Acme Bookbinding Company, Inc. - a family-owned business with roots to 1821, has been a leading force in the trade book binding and library binding markets. Additionally, Acme owns and operates the Harcourt Bindery division, producer of hand-tooled leather bindings and custom clam shell boxes, and its AM Sulkin division serves city, county and municipal registries. From its 100,000 square foot facility in Boston, Massachusetts, Acme produces hard and soft cover books in quantities of hundreds of thousands alongside thousands of orders of one book. The company currently employs approximately 125 people.

The HF Group, LLC - a library binding and preservation leader for over 50 years. In addition to its binding operations, HFG is the owner of Etherington Conservation Services (conservation), Book Partners (digital book production), Digital Conversion solutions (book, paper and document conversion), RecordSave (county records restoration) and AssureVault (records and data storage and management). HFG (The former Heckman Bindery, Inc. and ICIBinding Corporation) operates production, sales and transportation facilities in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Ohio, Indiana, Texas, Washington and Hawaii. The HF Group is headquartered in Chesterland, Ohio, and employs approximately 325 people.

|Sulkin Company History| 

 SULKIN HISTORY

AS RELATED BY ROBERT DECRISTOFORO

The A.M. Sulkin Company was started in 1901 by Abe and Margaret Sulkin, hence the A.M. in the name.  They began their company in downtown Boston, where the business was primarily involved with ledger and stationery binding.  The firm provided binding services, ledger books and state forms primarily to the Commonwealth and the cities and towns of Massachusetts.  The couple’s lawyer, Mr. Leslie Pike, took over the business on the death of the Sulkins in the late 1950s.  He had no hands-on experience and ran the business through a manager. 

The company had been in premises on Holly Street, behind the old Woolworth building, but were forced to move after a fire.   The firm moved to the Church Green Building at 111 Summer Street, and again were forced to move again after a fire in 1978.  The company established itself at 87 Summer Street until 1983.

By 1983, the A.M. Sulkin Company was managed solely by Robert DeCristoforo, who had been with the company since 1974.  A.M. Sulkin expanded to penruling and printing as well as binding in a small space just off Summer Street in Downtown Boston.  In 1983, the firm moved to 51 Melcher Street.  The owner, Mr. Leslie Pike, was now in a nursing home.  The company was sold in December of 1986 to The Harcourt Bindery, which moved into the 51 Melcher Street space, combining both companies.  In September, 2007, the combined Harcourt and Sulkin Binderies joined with Acme Bookbinding Company and relocated to the current premises in Charlestown.  A.M. Sulkin Company, with the same staff and services, now operates as a division of Acme Bookbinding Co.