LAKESIDE BOOK COMPANY ACQUIRES PHOENIX COLOR

Acquisition Streamlines Printing Supply Chain for Publishers and Gives Lakeside the Most Extensive Product Portfolio Available in the Book Manufacturing Industry

WARRENVILLE, Ill., April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Lakeside Book Company ("Lakeside") announced today that it has completed its acquisition of Phoenix Color Corp. ("Phoenix") from ALJ Regional Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALJJ) ("ALJ"). Phoenix is a specialty printer of book components, children's books, and other print-related products with printing facilities in Indiana and Maryland. In addition to book manufacturing, Lakeside provides distribution, sales and marketing services, as well as intellectual property and brand protection technology to book publishers. With this acquisition, Lakeside customers will have access to the most extensive portfolio of products, services, and solutions available in the industry.

Phoenix will operate as a division of Lakeside Book Company. Dave McCree, Lakeside's Chief Executive Officer, will lead the combined business. Marc Reisch, former Executive Chairman of Phoenix, will support the business through the integration and remain with ALJ. Phoenix President John Carbone is retiring from the company as Phoenix begins this new era as a division of Lakeside.

"Phoenix has been a premier supplier for publishing companies for over forty years. I wish to thank Marc and John for their leadership, which helped to earn Phoenix its position as the industry standard in both quality and service. We will uphold this reputation and are delighted to welcome the exceptional Phoenix team to our family at Lakeside Book Company," said McCree.

"Less than one year ago, we began a new chapter for our historic business, rebranding our company as Lakeside and building upon our legacy as the go-to partner for publishers large and small. Our new name marked the beginning of a new era for our company – one of growth, continuous improvement, and a renewed commitment to providing best-in-class printing and fulfillment services. Bringing Phoenix into the Lakeside Book Company is the next step toward fulfilling that vision," McCree said.

The complementary service offerings and scale achieved through this acquisition will benefit publishing customers through one-stop book and cover printing. This improved printing supply chain efficiency will be realized through streamlined order processing, scheduling and speed of delivery.

About Lakeside

In 1864, R.R. Donnelley started as a partner at a small printing company in Chicago. In the years that followed, he grew the company into one of the largest and most trusted printing service providers in the world. As the decades passed, the company continuously expanded its services, and in 2016, LSC Communications was spun out to offer specialized solutions to publishers, brands, retailers, and merchandisers. In 2020, Atlas Holdings acquired LSC Communications and in 2021, rebranded its Book division the Lakeside Book Company. The company mission states: "We are committed to crafting books and services that are meaningful. We take pride in the challenge of fulfilling our customers' visions." For more information, please visit www.lakesidebookcompany.com.

SOURCE Lakeside Book Company