Taylor Corporation to Acquire Venture Encoding and CardsDirect

Taylor Corporation, located in North Mankato, Minn., announced that it has reached agreements to acquire two Texas-based companies. Both Venture Encoding of Fort Worth and CardsDirect of Dallas will be acquired by the Minnesota-based printing and marketing conglomerate.

Venture Encoding, which provides loan servicing and marketing solutions to financial companies, will be merged with Corporate Graphics Direct Marketing Solutions, a Taylor Corporation affiliate based in Arden Hills, Minn. The new subsidiary will carry the name Venture Solutions Inc..

"As Taylor continues to evolve to meet the changing needs of its customers, Venture aligns very well with our corporate growth strategy centered on customer communications in compliance-driven markets such as financial services," said Glen Taylor, CEO of Taylor Corporation. "We will build upon Venture's legacy of market leadership and deep market knowledge to grow further."

"As we searched for a suitable buyer, Taylor stood out as sharing the same values and culture that we are proud of at Venture," said Kenny Hargis, CEO of Venture Encoding. "I believe these shared qualities position the combined companies very well for continued future success."

In a separate agreement, Taylor Corporation reached an agreement to purchase custom cards and stationery supplier CardsDirect. The Dallas-based business will be rolled into The Occasions Group, a division of Taylor Corporation that deals in personalized greeting cards and stationery. CardsDirect will continue to operate under its current name.

Taylor Corporation is one of the top 10 graphic communications providers, as well as having the largest and most diverse digital print platform, in North America. The company has over 80 affiliated companies across North America, China and Europe, including suppliers Navitor, Carlson Craft and Label Works. The financial terms of both new deals were not disclosed.

For more information, visit www.taylorcorp.com.