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This news page will be updated regularly so stop
back often to see the new developments! For older articles see our Newsline Archives.
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- February 14, 2001 -- Eastman Kodak through it Kodak Professional division announced the execution of a letter of
intent for the purchase of Hicks
Equipment and it's ProShots lab imaging workflow assets. The transaction which is
subject to finalizing definative agreements is expected to close within 30-60 days. This
transaction follows closely Kodak's acquisition announced January 19th of their technology
partner Bremson, Inc.
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- Hicks Equipment and the related ProShots Inc and ProShots.com Inc entities
will be merged into a single subsidiary owned solely by Kodak. The new subsidiary will be
known as ProShots, Inc. - A Kodak Company.
- February 11, 2001 -- ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Professional School
Photographers Association International (PSPA) selected its 2001-2002 Board of Directors
at its 50th Annual Convention, February 8-10, 2001 in Orlando, Florida, USA.
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- Pete Boynton, Herff Jones Photography Division, Lewiston, MN, USA, is the new PSPA
President. Also serving on the board are President-Elect Scott Cubberly, Cubberly Studio,
Delaware, OH, USA; First Vice President Aric N. Snyder, Inter-State Studio, Inc., Sedalia,
MO, USA; Second Vice President Jake Barker, Lifetouch National School Studios, Eden
Prairie, MN, USA; Treasurer Juergen K. Schuster, Boys & Girls Fotografie GmbH,
Mannheim, GERMANY; Directors John Davies, Davies Colour Ltd., Cardiff South Glamorgan,
WALES; and Gary Kranz, School Portraits By Kranz Inc., Santa Ana, CA, USA.
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- The officers were elected during the conventionĘs Official Business Session conducted
at the Orange County Convention Center.
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- PSPA is a section of Photo Marketing Association International (PMA).
- January 3, 2001 -- Indigo N.V. announced at Graph Expo that Lifetouch will be the North America beta test site for
the recently launched Indigo Publisher 8000. This is one of the Company's new
generation ultra high-speed presses. Lifetouch a 100% employee-owned company with annul
sales in excess of $700 million is home to four other Indigo digital presses and has been
an indigo customer since 1997.
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- Indigo's Publisher
8000 is currently the world's highest performance digital color printing press.
The four engine web-fed press is capable of producing 8000 A3 full-color pages per hour
(272 Letter size pages per minute). It can print on even the lightest weight paper stocks
and represents true state of the art in digital printing.
- November 27, 2000 -- PhotoLynx of Santa Ysabel, CA has completed a new interface to
the Kodak 620x professional camera with a resolution capable of producing photo-quality
11x14s. PhotoLynx will introduce its new CamLynx product (to replace PhotoLynx's
ProSystem) at PMAI 2001 in Orlando. The Kodak 520 and the Nikon D1 cameras are next to be
integrated.
- September 20, 2000 -- ArcSoft Inc today announced the launch of MyLifetouch.com for Lifetouch
National School Studios the world leader in school portrait photography. ArcSoft
developed and is hosting and maintaining Lifetouch's online portrait community enabling
the company to enhance its' relationship with more then 20 million students it now serves
nationwide.
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- The site provides Lifetouch with fast and secure online destination that
includes photo-sharing, enhancement, archiving and the ability to create composite prints.
Lifetouch expects to expand its revenue stream through printing and processing
services. MyLifetouch.com will enable parents and students to archive, share and
reorder their Lifetouch portraits.
- September 7, 2000 -- Royal Photographics, Inc. Bethlehem, PA and Blessed Designs, Plains, KS have
announced a strategic marketing alliance. Their agreement will provide for the
distribution of thousands of free patented designer Photo Mailers in proof envelopes to
Royal's school portrait customers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York this fall
portrait season. It also includes a special promotional offer for customer on Photo Mailer
kits manufactured by Blessed Designs and distributed by Royal Photographics, Inc. with
portrait packages.
- July 13, 2000 -- Walters Publishing Company of
Waseca, MN announced a new church directory division to service the independent
photographer. Walters is a nationwide publisher of school yearbooks. By opening the church
directory division Walters offers a complete program for sales and marketing to this
portrait segment including furnishing free marketing brochures to help promote this
service to local churches.
- July 10, 2000 -- PhotoLynx of Santa Ysabel, CA hired Darrin Fraser as creative director
of their new digital product line. Darrin's professional background is in graphic arts,
marketing and computer science. One of Darrin's responsibilities is overseeing a new line
of professional templates for school and sports digital services.
- July 7, 2000 -- PrimeShot.com of Arlington, VA said it signed an agreement with Wyndham International Inc of Dallas, TX
to become the official photographers for Wyndham Hotels and Resorts worldwide. The event
photographers services will be promoted and referred by Wyndham representatives to meeting
planners and event hosts.
- July 5, 2000 -- Daniel Carp the new CEO and President of
Eastman Kodak Company said that by 2005
the company expects to generate $24 billion in revenue with 45 percent of their revenues
and 27 percent of their earnings coming from digital products and services. Kodak's sales
for the full year of 1999 were $14.089 billion.
- June 20, 2000 -- Mackay Envelope Corp. of Minneapolis MN is celebrated 40 years in
business with an open house. The envelope manufacture employs about 500 people in two
states and has $80 million in sales.
- June 11, 2000 -- PrimeShot.com of Arlington, VA announced that it has certified
professional photographers in all 50 states. The company which books events photographers
on lines for weddings, reunions and corporate affairs has been in operation for only four
months.
- June 10, 2000 -- APCI members had the opportunity to
visit labs serving the school portrait industry. Nearly 100 members of the
Association of Professional Color Imagers (APCI) toured Herff Jones Photography Division
and Lifetouch National School Studios Inc.
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- The tours gave members the opportunity to get a close-up look at new
technology and to ask some questions of photo lab staff.
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- Herff Jones took attendees through three of it's six facilities including
their new 41,000 square foot building. The new building houses the company's offset
printing facilities which had been scattered throughout several buildings due to damage
from a tornado
last year.
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- Lifetouch opened only a portion of its facilities for the tour due to the
proprietary nature of the systems and equipment they use at their sites.
- May 22, 2000 -- The Photo Marketing Association
International held their first every School Photographer Advisory Committee meeting on May
18 and 19 at the PMA headquarters in Jackson, Michigan. The meeting was moderated by
Tom Crawford (Photo Marketing Association International) while Dan Reynolds (Daniel
Reynolds Photographics), served as the committee chairperson. Other advisory committee
members included Rus Blank (Perler Photography, Inc.), Mary Dankert (Walter's Yearbooks),
Robert Kerr (Royal Photographics, Inc.), Mark Maynard (Fox-Mar Studios), Mike Stein
(Busco-Nestor Studios) and Jim Wingard (Wingard Photography, Inc.). Also in attendance was
PMA Technical Advisor Jim Pool.
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- The advisory committee addressed concerns specific to the school portrait
industry and reviewed the accomplishments of the Association and the industry during the
past year. Future planning was also a major part of the agenda.
- May 16, 2000 -- Bob Brust the CFO of Eastman Kodak said
at the rate the euro was falling revenue growth could be slashed by up to three percentage
points. He did not specify a new revenue growth target. Kodak currently generates up to 30
percent of its sale in Europe. The single European currency has slipped about 23 percent
against the dollar since its debut in early 1999 at $1.17. The euro has recently slipped
to 90 cents.
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- Although Kodak's first quarter profits rose 58 percent to $289 million
they reported in April that sales for the period were flat at $3.1 billion.
- May 15, 2000 -- Eastman Kodak Company said today that it
bought the remaining 49 percent of PictureVision it did not already own for $90 million.
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- PictureVision provides the infrastructure for two of Kodak's digital
photo sharing services, its "You've Got Pictures" joint venture with America
Online and PhotoNet. Until today, PictureVision operated as a majority-owned but
independent subsidiary of Kodak. Kodak bought the initial 51 percent stake in March 1998.
- May 14, 2000 -- Photoreflect.com an electronic
storefront and division of Express Digital of Denver, Colorado, announced an alliance
enabling franchisees of The Sports Section of Atlanta, Georgia, to post and sell photos on
a co-branded web site. Each franchisee will have a custom web site, which will drive
customers to the The Sports Section www.sports-section.com and a Photoreflect.com co-branded site.
- May 10, 2000 -- Investcorp, a worldwide investment
group, announced today that it and certain other co-investors completed their acquisition
of Jostens, Inc. through a merger of Jostens with a company controlled by Investcorp. The
transaction was valued at about $920 million, including the assumption of approximately
$70 million in debt. Jostens had sales of $782 million in 1999.
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- Jostens shareholders will receive $25.25 in cash for each share of
Jostens common stock unless they elected to retain shares in the merged company. As a
result of the transaction Investcorp and its co-investors which include Jostens senior
management will own 94 percent of the common equity of the company. The shareholders that
elected to retain shares will own the remaining 6 percent.
- May 5, 2000 -- Jostens Inc today privately sold $225
million of 10-year notes, market sources said. Deutsche Banc Alex Brown, USB Warburg LLC
and Goldman Sachs & Co. led the private sale.
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- The sale was decreased in size from the originally expected amount of
$240 million. The notes had been expected to yield 13.25 percent to 13.50 percent.
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- Moody's and S&P expect to rate the notes B3 and single -B,
respectively. Jostens now carries investment grade ratings but is likely to lose them
after the completion of a leveraged buyout of the company by Investcorp S.A. and others.
- May 2, 2000 -- Standard & Poor's said today that
Jostens Inc will be replaced by analogue-chip maker Maxim Integrated Products Inc. in the
S&P 500 Index after the close of trading on May 9.
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- Standard & Poor's said investment group Investcorp S.A. is acquiring
Jostens Inc. and the deal is anticipated to close on May 9.
- March 10, 2000 -- The Professional School Photographers
Association are holding their second annual United Kingdom conference in the historic city
of Coventry. The conference is scheduled for April 17 through 19 at The Britannia
Hotel, Cathedral Square.
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- The Keynote Speaker this year is Nigel Risner author of
"Masterminding Your Way to Success". Other speakers include Sy Yardley
(School Pictures), Chris Bacon (Calumet), Steve Robinson (Chestnut Studios), Robert Kerr
(Royal Photographics, Inc.), Gwen Thomas (The Association of Photographers / Member of the
legal profession), David Williams (Sienna Imaging), Tom Carroll (Camerz, Division of Photo
Control Corporation), Nick Mylas (Pixel Photographics) and Mike Dolling (Kodak
Professional). A representative from Lifetouch National School Studios will also address
attendees.
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- In addition to the speakers listed above there will be a special session
by three members from the Swedish School Photographers Association. They will talk about
how school photography operates in Sweden, Denmark and Norway.
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- It sounds like this will be a great event!
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