ASHLAND — A Michigan-based brand founded in 1979 was recently acquired by Bendon.
In a press release issued Tuesday, Bendon, headquartered in Ashland, announced it has acquired School Zone Publishing Company — a family-owned, independent publisher of K-6 education products.
Headquartered in Grand Haven, Michigan, School Zone has established a 45-plus year track record of teacher-developed, standards-based curriculum through the form of workbooks, flash cards and learning sets for children from pre-K through 6th grade, including its “Big Workbooks, Get Ready! Deluxe Edition and Activity Zone series,” according to the release.
Its products are sold through a variety of digital and brick-and-mortar channels including Amazon, Costco, Walmart and Target. Materials are also available on Anywhere Teacher, a “proprietary subscription-based digital learning platform offering teachers and families access to thousands of curriculum-aligned educational resources,” the release said.
“School Zone has spent decades building a trusted name in children’s education and we’re honored to carry that legacy forward,” said Ben Ferguson, CEO of Bendon. “This acquisition gives us an immediate foothold in the educational publishing space and we believe it pairs perfectly with what we’ve built at Bendon.
“We see real opportunity to expand School Zone’s reach through our retail relationships and distribution network, while investing in the brand and its digital offerings like Anywhere Teacher,” Ferguson said.
According to the release, the two companies expect to bring School Zone’s diversified educational products to more families, classrooms and retailers nationwide, while continuing to grow Anywhere Teacher’s subscriber base.
“This acquisition is about building a platform that can reach kids wherever they’re
learning, whether that’s in a classroom, at home or on a screen-free device with a
workbook in hand,” said Charles Yoon, managing partner of Brightstar Capital
Partners’ lower middle market strategy, financial partner to Ferguson and Bendon management.
“School Zone’s products have shaped how millions of children learn to read, write and do math and pairing that legacy with Bendon’s distribution and retail relationships is exactly the kind of value creation we set out to build,” Yoon said.
More about Bendon
Brightstar Capital Partners acquired Bendon back in April, according to Business Wire. Ferguson and members of his management team retained an ownership stake in the company, the story said.
“Choosing a partner for Bendon’s next chapter was an important decision,” Ferguson said of Brightstar in Business Wire’s April 22 story. “Brightstar brings deep experience working with founder-led companies and shares our long-term vision for the business.”
Founded in 2001, Bendon is a designer and distributor of licensed children’s coloring, activity and educational products. The company partners with leading entertainment licensors to develop “engaging, affordable offerings distributed across a broad range of retail channels in North America,” the release said.
Bendon’s products are designed to support hands-on, creative and screen-free engagement for children.
