SDI Innovations acquires Bellingham, WA-based competitor
Lafayette, Ind. – January 13, 2020 – Lafayette-headquartered SDI Innovations announced Monday, January 13, that it has acquired Bellingham, WA-based school planner company, Premier Agendas, Inc.
“School Datebooks, our flagship company, is a major player in the planning-calendar industry, serving more than 13,000 schools in all 50 states and 23 countries,” SDI Innovations’ President and CEO Tim Powers said.
“With over 25,000 customers, this acquisition makes School Datebooks the biggest player in the student planning calendar market,” Powers said. “It dramatically increases our market share and secures an opportunity for us to continue to grow in the educational industry. We look forward to having a larger footprint and greater capability to become a full-service educational product provider.”
Premier Agendas, founded in 1982, supplies planning calendars to more than 15,000 schools across the United States.
“Both our companies have been integral players in creating the school planner market since the beginning,” Powers said. “This strategic acquisition not only gives us access to new markets for planners, but also for our STEM education (STEM Education Works) and online scheduling initiatives (Eventlink®). We’re looking forward to extending our reach, growing our customer base and, in time, perhaps creating new employment opportunities here in Lafayette and in Bellingham.”
School Datebooks currently employs 90 full-time in their Lafayette headquarters and their Denver, CO-based office. The company hires another 60 seasonally in Lafayette. Many of the seasonal employees are interns from Purdue University’s Computer Graphics Technology, Selling and Sales Management, and Communications programs. Premier Agendas will keep 27 full-time employees and their sales, customer service, and production operations will remain in Bellingham, Powers said.
Paul Taylor, general manager at Premier Agendas, said, “Over the last four decades we’ve been proud to have helped inspire millions of students and instill the powerful lifelong habit of daily planning. We are very excited about the opportunities that this acquisition will bring our clients and employees.”
Powers added, “We’ve worked hard to deliver a simple, worry-free experience for our customers, vendors, and employees. We continually strive to develop new products and embrace new technologies to simplify the lives of students, parents, and administrators. That strategy has paid off and is now allowing us to expand our successful workplace culture, product lines and brands, as well as product offerings.”
SDI Innovations has market access, global manufacturing, capital, and experience that few other companies can provide. The company is designed to scale and is always looking for the right partners. The combination of an in-house marketing agency, aggressive sales department and knowledgeable customer service representatives accelerates SDI Innovations’ brands with best-in-class promotion and follow-through. Plus, in-house IT and production capabilities, coupled with our global manufacturing reach and top-of-the-line logistics, keeps SDI Innovations on the cutting edge of innovation. www.sdiinnovations.com
SDI Innovations is parent to many brands and companies:
School Datebooks
School Datebooks is the flagship company under the SDI Innovations umbrella. Started in 1985, with a handful of Lafayette, IN-area schools, School Datebooks has blossomed to over 25,000 customers across the United States and 23 other countries. Laser focus on product and efficiency has kept School Datebooks strong for the past 34 years.
STEM Education Works
SDI Innovations realized there was a need for easy-to-teach, interactive and fun STEM programs that came with a focused and adaptable curriculum. STEM Education Works’ curriculum was created in partnership with Purdue University and has combined standards-aligned STEM curriculum with high-quality robotics to empower students in grades 6 to 12. The teacherdesigned, industry-aligned curriculum delivers authentic learning opportunities to students, bridging the gap between student outcomes and workforce development needs.
Eventlink®
As School Datebooks continues to print datebooks for schools around the world, SDI Innovations is also part of the digital future. Eventlink® coordinates a robust collection of times, dates, contracts and contacts for our customers, allowing them to schedule their days and nights as they see fit. A combination of market knowledge, connections, and willingness to invest in the future make Eventlink® a powerful brand for the company.
Ag Printers
While SDI Innovations’ initial market was education, the company’s internal processes were flexible and scalable and Ag Printers jumped on board. Ag Printers is an example of a company that took advantage of what we had to offer … and grew exponentially. In fact, they’re positioned for continued rapid growth and we’re proud to be part of the journey.
Action Publishing
Action Publishing products encourage people to improve their lives, relationships, and the world through time management, journal keeping, sketching, and exploring and communicating ideas. All Action products are available on Amazon.com as well.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT
Jon Sautter, Director of Marketing, SDI Innovations
765.471.8883; jon@sdiinnovations.com