Edwards Brothers expands staff with new partnerships

The folks at Edward Brothers don’t flinch when a recession blows through the local economy. The Ann Arbor-based company has survived more downturns that most in its 118 years.However, the company is a little more cautious after surviving the Great Recession. The downturn took a toll on its book stores, schools (text books) and professional publications. “Just being here is a victory after 2009,” says John Edwards, president & CEO of Edwards Brothers. “It’s been a rough couple of years. We used to say we don’t participate in recessions. This last one nearly got us.”That doesn’t mean Edwards Brothers is licking its wounds today. The company is starting to grow its traditional customer bases again (textbooks only last so long) and is exploiting new growing areas, such as custom publication and digital printing. “What we’re seeing is shorter runs more often,” Edwards says.Edwards Brothers is also picking up competitors its has bested through acquisitions and partnerships. It added 40 people to its staff last year through acquisitions. It also just inked a partnership with Rockpoint Logistics to provide digital printing services out of its Illinois facility. Those moves have allowed Edwards Brothers to expand its printing facilities portfolio to nine buildings, including two factories that specialize in both traditional and digital printi. Edwards Brothers’ staff has also grown to 700 people, including 420 in Ann Arbor. It hopes to add a few more in 2011 and it continues to gain ground after a close economic call.Source: John Edwards, president & CEO of Edwards BrothersWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit’s growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.