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Videos & Webinars

NAPCO hosted a recent webinar “Looking Ahead: The Power of M&A for Printing & Packaging Businesses in 2025”, presented by Jim Russell and Tom Williams. Despite some of the news you might have read, 2024 has been a banner year for mergers and acquisitions in printing and packaging. Fragmented industries such as ours tend to consolidate, and we expect this trend to continue into 2025. This session will explain how you can best increase the valuation of your company, and why that is important even if you don’t have current plans to sell the business. We will also discuss the types of M&A transactions we have been engaged with and what we expect to see moving forward.

In this session, you will learn:

  • Why this is a great time to be a seller or buyer.
  • The types of buyers currently in the market for printing/packaging businesses, and what they are looking for.
  • How acquiring another company can benefit your business.
  • Considerations for successful mergers and/or acquisition.
  • Watch Here

NAPCO hosted a webinar “How The “Haves” Are Transforming The Printing And Packaging Industries”, presented by Jim Russell and Peter Schaefer.

The printing industry continues to transform into what New Direction Partners commonly refers to as the “haves” and the “have nots.” During this webinar you will learn what the “haves” are doing today to position themselves for growth and profitability…and increase the value of their businesses for the long-term. The “haves” have reinvented themselves to become fully integrated communications companies, providing a wide array of products and services beyond print that inspire customer loyalty and “stickiness.”

During this webinar, you will learn:

  • The common characteristics found among these successful companies
  • What the “haves” are doing to build brand loyalty and higher profit margins
  • Ways to build intrinsic value for your printing or packaging business
  • Watch Here

As President, Jonathan Shapiro was charged with selling the company by its elderly family owners. He started the process in 2015 but ran into barriers including the requirement that employees and the building be protected, as well as its union status. In the end, patience won out, and New Direction Partners Peter Schaefer found the perfect buyer. It’s a great story. Enjoy! Watch the full story here.

NAPCO hosted a recent webinar “M&A Road Ahead in 2024 and Beyond”, presented by Jim Russell and Tom Williams.
In this session, New Direction Partners experts will share their thoughts on the current state of mergers and acquisitions in the broader printing and packaging industry as well as provide an outlook for the M&A environment as we move into 2024. It includes important advice for both buyers and sellers preparing for the future. By attending the live streamed session, you will be able to ask questions of these experts. In this session, you will learn:

  • How 2023 shaped up in terms of industry M&A activity.
  • What the future of M&A looks like for the balance of 2023 and into 2024, including any anticipated barriers or opportunities.
  • A summary of the types of buyers active in the market and the difference between them.
  • Insight into how to increase company valuation in preparation for a sale.
  • The importance of an up-to-date succession plan.
  • Watch Here

NAPCO hosted a recent webinar “The Inside Scoop On Buyers Interested In Print And Packaging”, presented by James Russell and Peter Schaefer.
Mergers & Acquisitions in the Printing & Packaging Industry remain strong with activity being fueled by strong private equity (PE) and strategic interest. While PE has been active in the packaging space for a number of years, with multiple buyers engaged in significant roll-ups, both large and small, they are also active in commercial print and other industry segments. In this webinar, you will learn:

  • Who some of the more active PE and strategic acquirors are
  • What they find attractive and how they differ
  • How to increase the value of your business to make it more attractive
  • Watch Here
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Recent Reimagining M&A in These Unprecedented Times Webinars
In these educational sessions, New Direction Partners experts presented an update on current printing and packaging industry trends, and how the M&A market is shifting due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. A key result is an expectation that we will see more tuck-ins as we come out of this crisis, which has placed significant stress on many businesses in our industry. For many of these businesses, finding a buyer who is willing to do a tuck-in is much preferable to simply closing their doors. During this session, you will:

  • SEG Systems worked with Peter Schaefer of New Direction Partners to find a buyer that fit culturally with their business and could help spur further growth for the company. SEG Systems President Reid Johnson explains his experience in working with New Direction Partners and how they helped him find the perfect partner in TENEX Capital/Orbus. Watch Here.
  • Leading printing company Sandy Alexander recently announced that Snow Peak Capital has made a majority investment in the company. In this video discussion, CEO Mike Graff explains the value working with New Direction Partners delivered to both buyer and seller in bringing this transaction to completion, including the importance of their industry knowledge and M&A expertise. Watch Here.
  • NAPCO hosted a recent webinar “A Creative Approach to Selling Your Business: Capitalizing on the Latest M&A Trends”, presented by Peter Schaefer and Jim Russell.
    Are you thinking about selling your printing, packaging or display graphics company? As M&A experts in the printing, packaging and display graphics industries, Peter Schaefer and Jim Russell of New Direction Partners will be discussing the steps potential sellers need to be taking as they plan for a sale. With many years of experience in this area and having facilitated more than 300[CS1] industry mergers and acquisitions, New Direction Partners has its finger on the pulse of the latest trends, opportunities and barriers in what is arguably one of the most dynamic M&A environments we have seen in many years. In this session, you will learn:
    • The steps potential sellers should be taking to prepare their companies for sale;
    • The different types of buyers who are active in M&A in the printing, packaging and display graphics industries;
    • The types of deals we are seeing and how they are structured; and
    • How best to translate all of this to your decision-making process.Even if you don’t see a sale on your immediate horizon, this session will provide you with valuable information and insight about the best ways to position your company so you are better prepared if and when that time comes. View presentation here.