News Release

DALLAS, TX – Safeguard Business Systems, Inc., an affiliate of the Deluxe Corporation and the provider of products, services and expertise designed to help businesses run and grow, is pleased to announce the recent sale of Chicago-based Safeguard Marketing Resources, from Safeguard Acquisitions, Inc. to new Safeguard distributor and former Safeguard employee Susan Poznan. Safeguard Marketing Resources is a recognized leader in full-color printing, creative services, branding and email marketing throughout the Midwest. The sale was led by Safeguard’s Business Acquisitions and Mergers (BAM) team and is the latest transaction involving some of the largest and most recognized enterprises in the industry.

Poznan started in the printing and promotional products industry as a receptionist when she was 19 years old, spending her nights and weekends at the back of the plant learning about the manufacturing and technical aspects of the business. Over the years, as Poznan’s career progressed, she was exposed to production, operations management, purchasing, quality and eventually sales, where she latched onto her natural ability to drive results for customers. Poznan has been with Safeguard for the past five years, beginning as an account manager with the Deluxe Corporation before transitioning into a role as a sales consultant for Safeguard Marketing Resources in Chicago. Her newest role as franchise owner gives her access to all of the resources under the Safeguard umbrella.

“I was eager to make this change and exclusively focus my time and energy on helping customers with their print and promotional needs,” said Poznan. “I now have the ability to act as a consultant, not just a sales representative, with a wealth of resources available to make me a valuable advisor. As an employee, I operated as though the strength of the business was my responsibility, managing the accounts, the relationships and the results. That entrepreneurial mindset has made this a smooth transition, and having a trusted company like Safeguard behind me carries a lot of weight.”

Safeguard Marketing Resources has solidified its foothold in the Midwest by becoming a preferred vendor for large, corporate accounts across the Chicagoland area. While Safeguard Marketing Resources will continue growing with the important accounts it already has, Poznan aims to focus new sales on small business opportunities, utilizing the business’ access to Safeguard’s global resources to help small businesses grow and become an even more valuable part of the community.

“Maintaining a relationship with existing customers was vital to the success of this transition, and the BAM team took every precaution to ensure that happened by keeping our lines of communication open,” said Poznan. “I couldn’t have asked for a better onboarding process. It has allowed me to focus on our internal growth right off the bat.”

“This is an exciting moment for Safeguard as Susan has a strong track record of success, not only in the printing and promotional products industry, but also as an entrepreneur,” said R. Scott Sutton, Vice President and leader of the BAM team at Safeguard. “Having Susan on board as a franchise owner will help the team uncover additional, solutions-based opportunities to provide to existing and future customers of Safeguard.”

In addition to Safeguard Marketing Resources, the BAM team also recently completed the sale of Streetsboro, OH based Safeguard by Prime. The established distributorship has succeeded as a Safeguard company-operated business for nearly five years prior to the sale to former Safeguard employee Tim McMahon.

ABOUT SAFEGUARD
For more than 60 years, Safeguard, through its network of distributors, has been providing the products, services and expertise needed by business owners to help their businesses grow. Through innovation, dedication and a commitment to quality and integrity, Safeguard has transformed itself from a small check printing business to a fully diversified business solutions enterprise. To learn more about Safeguard, please visit www.gosafeguard.com, or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/safeguardgrowth.

ABOUT SAFEGUARD BAM
Since 2008, Safeguard’s award-winning Business Acquisitions and Mergers (BAM) Team has emerged as the most decorated strategic growth team in the industry. With more than 100 years of collective experience in mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, business strategy and financial performance assessment, the BAM Team possesses the “know how” needed by Safeguard, its affiliates, distributors and franchisees to complete complex transactions across multiple business channels. The BAM team has completed more than 150 total transactions since its inception, earning accolades at the highest levels. In 2017, the BAM team won an M&A Advisors Deal of the Year award in the Professional Services (B-to-B) category as well as a bronze Stevie® American Business Award as Support Team of the Year. In 2014, the BAM team won a coveted Dealmaker of the Year award, presented by Franchise Times® Magazine. To learn more about the BAM Team, please visit safeguardbam.com, or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/safeguardgrowth.