Huntington, IN-based Our Sunday Visitor, a nonprofit manufacturer/marketer of products for churches and religious instruction, on Jan. 15 acquired the assets of Youngstown, OH-based American Paper Group, an offertory envelope manufacturer/marketer, for an undisclosed price. American Paper Group had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November.
Up until last year, American Paper Group had operated a catalog unit, APG Direct. But according to Kyle Hamilton, president/general manager of Our Sunday Visitor’s envelope division, American Paper had discontinued the APG catalog. “Selling religious items to churches through a catalog ceased, and was a serious financial hit for American Paper Group by burning through a lot of cash,” Hamilton says. Our Sunday Visitor has its own catalog selling offeratory envelopes.
Hamilton says his company has no plans to relaunch the APG catalog. Rather, the company’s priority is to maintain American Paper’s printing operations, eliminate any backorders, and resolve any customer service issues that may have arisen in the months leading up to the bankruptcy.