Edge Imaging announces four company acquisitions
Ontario-based portrait powerhouse Edge Imaging announced it has acquired four companies within the school photography and yearbook industry to further strengthen Edge’s organization.
Adanac Images brings over 70 schools with them as second-generation owners, Janet and Mark Oliver, join the Edge family. Their desire for innovation and advancement drove them to partner with one of the industry’s leaders.
“Now that we are part of Edge Imaging, our schools will benefit from new products and services that previously weren’t available to them,” said the Olivers. “Edge’s foundational commitment to data privacy and protection serves as a benchmark for the industry. We’re excited to be a part of this dynamic and innovative company.”
D&H School Photos along with their 5,000 students will also be joining the Edge team. Founder, Dave Neill, successfully ran D&H Photography, but felt as though some major changes were needed to ensure a brighter future, according to the company.
“With the market changing so rapidly I realized that unless I made major changes my schools would not receive the best services available,” said Neill, in a press release. “Deciding to sell after so many years was difficult, but after talks with Dave Pond [Co-Founder of Edge Imaging] I became confident that my schools would be looked after to the same degree I had.”
Platinum Photography, in Alberta, has been in the business for over 35 years, and its legacy will live on through Edge’s dedication to the school photography industry, the press release said.
“Once these other boards see the services, the offers, and the quality we are delivering, we are certain they will see the advantages of working with a 100% Canadian company,” quoted Kevin Pendergast.
The expansion of Edge’s yearbook services aims to better serve Canadian school communities through a comprehensive product offering; the acquisition of Picaboo Yearbooks doubled Edge’s yearbook volume with more than 250 new yearbook accounts located across Canada.
Edge has been in business since 2005 and currently servicing more than 2,500 schools. In 2020, James Aziz, the then-new CEO of Edge, talked with Dead Pixels Society podcast about its ambitious acquisition strategy, which was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Our strategy is to grow the business to have a presence outside of the province of Ontario,” said Aziz in the 2020 podcast interview. “We are very large and we have a very large position in the province of Ontario. We are now working in some of the Western provinces in Canada as well. We’re going to continue that growth path. And we are going to continue to grow organically and we’re going to continue to grow through acquisitions. I’ve had the opportunity over my career to be involved in at least a dozen major acquisitions. It’s part of the work that I like to do and I entirely believe there’s a great opportunity for edge to continue down that path.”