DeWITT — Dupli — a family-owned, on-demand printing company — in June acquired Seaboard Graphics, a commercial printer that focuses on screen printing and embroidery work. Dupli didn’t release any financial terms of its acquisition agreement. Kemper Matt, Jr., president of Dupli, tells CNYBJ in a July 30 phone interview that the acquisition brings his […]
Get Instant Access to This Article
Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
- Critical Central New York business news and analysis updated daily.
- Immediate access to all subscriber-only content on our website.
- Get a year's worth of the Print Edition of The Central New York Business Journal.
- Special Feature Publications such as the Book of Lists and Revitalize Greater Binghamton, Mohawk Valley, and Syracuse Magazines
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
DeWITT — Dupli — a family-owned, on-demand printing company — in June acquired Seaboard Graphics, a commercial printer that focuses on screen printing and embroidery work.
Dupli didn’t release any financial terms of its acquisition agreement.
Kemper Matt, Jr., president of Dupli, tells CNYBJ in a July 30 phone interview that the acquisition brings his company services that will strengthen its offerings.
“They have a more substantial commercial-printing offering, so that’s going to help us. They also offer screen printing and embroidery, so that’s going to help us,” says Matt.
Besides envelopes, Dupli says its products and services also include Stik-Withit Notes Pads and Note Cubes, direct-mail services, marketing collateral, and fulfillment services. Dupli says its online platform — DupliOnline — facilitates the print production and shipment of “thousands of orders per day.”
Dupli is headquartered at 6761 Thompson Road in DeWitt and also operates offices in Malvern, Pennsylvania (near Philadelphia) and in Newington, Connecticut. Seaboard operates at 6881 Schuyler Road in DeWitt.
Following the transaction, Seaboard Graphics is now operating as just Seaboard and functions as a division of Dupli, Larry Kuhn, president of Seaboard, tells CNYBJ in a separate phone interview on July 27.
He also notes that the Minuteman Press business at 7570 Oswego Road in Clay is not part of the acquisition deal. Kuhn says he and his wife, Melinda, still own that entity.
Before the deal, the employee count at Dupli was about 200 and the company added 12 people from Seaboard in the transaction, according to Matt.
“Every one of our team members is staying with the company,” Kuhn notes.
For the Kuhns, the sale represents a succession plan.
“I don’t really have a timeline. In my mind, I’m still fairly young. This was a good move as a succession plan for my wife and I but also it allows me to do a little something different,” says Kuhn.
After years of operating a small business, Kuhn believes he’ll enjoy working with a larger company with “better” resources and a bigger infrastructure.
Kuhn is leading sales for the Seaboard division. “From my perspective, I hope Larry works here for another 25 years,” says Matt.
Discussions on the deal started before the coronavirus pandemic impacted life in Central New York and everywhere, according to Kuhn. Seaboard and Dupli have utilized each other’s services for the past three years.
“We were friendly competitors, I like to say,” says Kuhn, noting that Seaboard will eventually move to Dupli’s main office in DeWitt.
Seaboard is the third company Dupli has brought into the fold in the last three years, according to Matt.
The Copy Center in downtown Syracuse joined about a year ago. Envelopes and More was a company in Bloomfield, Connecticut and it joined the Newington, Connecticut division about two years ago.
As for the future, Matt has a positive view.
“We are very optimistic about the future. We’re excited about all of our growth opportunities beyond this investment. We’ve invested in the business, adding more envelope-converting equipment and adding other folding and packaging equipment … The Seaboard acquisition is a piece of our strategy and activities to help continue to grow our business,” says Matt.