National Publisher Services (NPS) Announces Partnership With Henry and David Fry: NPS Acquires Circulation Specialists Inc. (CSI) and Names Publishing Veteran John LeBrun Partner at NPS and New Chief Executive of CSI | Fry Communications, Inc

National Publisher Services (NPS) Announces Partnership With Henry and David Fry: NPS Acquires Circulation Specialists Inc. (CSI) and Names Publishing Veteran John LeBrun Partner at NPS and New Chief Executive of CSI

Edison, NJ - January 4, 2011 - National Publisher Services (www.nps1.com), a strategic outsource solution for publishers, announced today that Henry and David Fry have acquired a 50-percent interest in NPS.

Additionally, NPS announced that it has acquired Circulation Specialists Inc. (www.circspecialists.com) and that industry veteran John LeBrun has joined NPS as a partner and as chief executive officer of CSI. The announcements were made by Mark Harris, NPS chief executive officer, and are effective immediately.

"We are excited to start the new year with such great news," said NPS CEO Mark Harris. "Partnering with Henry Fry, the president and owner of Fry Communications, and David Fry, chief technology officer, allows us to combine our resources in offering publishers a total strategic solution to meet today's publishing challenges. The acquisition of CSI fits perfectly into our combined strategic growth plans, and John LeBrun's background in circulation and marketing, along with his history of developing strong teams in the publishing industry, makes him the ideal executive to manage the acquisition."

The Frys made the investment through NPI Ventures, their vehicle for non-print initiatives and investments. "The affiliation with Fry Communications provides a platform for growth for both NPS and its customers," Harris added.

Through the new partnership and acquisition National Publisher Services will now offer solutions in the following four core publishing areas:

  • Retail Sales Development - Newsstand sales consulting, management, and operations

  • Audience Development (CSI) - Full-service circulation outsource activities, including modeling, budgeting, new subscription acquisitions, list rental management, ABC, BPA and postal audits, fulfillment house liaison, and reporting of all source activity, including new business, billing, and renewals

  • Publishing Services - Offering both ongoing and one-shot custom publishing, NPS allows publishers and content providers value-added services with group pricing efficiencies 

  • Digital (Thumb Media Group) - Development of made-for-mobile, rich-media publications through the production, licensing, and publication of content through proprietary, patent pending, mobile, and tablet publishing platforms

LeBrun, a publishing veteran with more than 30 years of direct marketing and circulation experience, said, "I am thrilled to be joining NPS and leading CSI, along with former CSI owners Greg Wolfe, president, and Beverly Chaloux, executive vice president, who will continue on in their roles. The marriage of NPS and CSI is a publisher's dream. When you add the experience of Henry and David Fry to the mix you really have an unprecedented combination of skills. I look forward to working with and learning from the teams at our respective companies and am excited to bring my experience into the equation."

LeBrun, who took over as CEO on January 3, spent the last two years at The Saturday Evening Post as chief marketing officer. Prior to that, he was senior vice president, Circulation Marketing and Catalog Marketing, at Reiman Publications (currently Reader's Digest Milwaukee). At Reiman, he managed all aspects of consumer marketing for the company's 16 million circulation magazines and Country Store catalog.

More information on the acquisition and companies can be found at www.nps1.com.

About National Publisher Services:

NPS was founded by Mark Harris and Bob McIlwain in 1991, originally providing publishers with expertise in the area of newsstand distribution and sales. NPS has since grown to encompass other critical areas of publishing management services, including subscription sales, custom publishing, and digital marketing. NPS will employ more than 30 employees in 2011.

About Circulation Specialists:

CSI is the original outsource provider of circulation management services to the magazine industry. CSI was founded in 1987 and today has a staff of 15 circulation professionals, providing circulation services for more than 30 magazines and newsletters. CSI has served publishing clients, including Atlantic Monthly, Saveur, The New Republic, Nylon, Popular Science, and ARTnews.

About Henry and David Fry:

Henry Fry has been the president of Fry Communications, Inc. (www.frycomm.com), one of the nation's largest privately held integrated communications companies, for more than 50 years. David Fry joined the company in 2010 after building one of the industry's leading Internet services organizations, which he sold in 2008. Today he leads the advanced technology programs at Fry.