Thunderbird Press in Richmond, BC has almost doubled its size with the acquisition of Broadway Printers in Vancouver. The deal closed at the end of May, and according to Thunderbird's president, Kathy Forrest, the additional sales brought over from Broadway should elevate the company from about $3.5 million to over $5 million in revenue and add about 10 people to its staff of 25.
Established in 1911 by the Blockberger family, Broadway is one of the oldest companies in Canada and remained a family business for four generations. Skyrocketing property taxes on its prime downtown Vancouver location among other issues led to the decision to sell the business. Company president Tom Blockberger will join Thunderbird for six months, after which time he will re-evaluate his future plans.
"Tom and I have been friends for years and years," says Forrest, who's excited about the transaction. "It's a good thing for Thunderbird," she adds.
Both are commercial print shops with unionized production. Thunderbird, in business for almost 40 years, is owned by the Forrest family. Its largest sheetfed press is a 6-colour 29-inch, which for now will absorb the added workload.