1957 - Over 50 years ago, in Waseca, MN, Wayne “Bumps” Brown branched out from his father’s newspaper printing operation to produce catalogs, auction bills, and other publications. Brown Printing Company employed 59 people and had annual sales of $500,000. A series of expansions and acquisitions followed.

1969 - Brown was sold to Bemis Corporation, headquartered in Minneapolis.

1978 - Brown opened a new web offset printing facility in East Greenville, PA, employing 85 people.

1979 - Brown was purchased by Gruner + Jahr AG & Co. KG of Hamburg, Germany, a subsidiary of Bertelsmann AG and Europe’s largest magazine publisher.

1991 - Alliance List Services Division was created to offer specialized mailing solutions to meet the distribution needs of our clients.

1997 - Brown acquired Graftek Press, a web offset printer in Woodstock, IL.

1999 - The company embraced digital publishing technology, including advanced data network transmission and Computer-to-Plate (CTP) digital workfl ow process.

2003 - Brown Logistics Services, a new business unit, debuted to oversee all distribution and mailing services for customers.

2005 - Waseca Division embarked on the largest expansion to date. The $56 million multi-year, 150,000 square foot expansion, included a six story warehouse building, paper receiving, paper storage, and additional pressroom bays. 2005 also saw the debut of B.Direct, an enhanced web portal technology and secured access for customers to view and approve their pages online.

2006 - Completion of the Waseca facility expansion which included an Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS) and Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs).

2007 - Brown Printing celebrated its 50th anniversary and welcomed Volker Petersen as the new President & CEO. 2007 also marked partnerships with both iMirus and SendMyAd to offer customers Digital Editions and advanced Ad Portal solutions.

2008 - Completion of the Woodstock facility expansion which included the addition of a state-of-the-art 2x8 stacked Goss Sunday 3000 press.

Today - Brown Printing Company is the fourth largest magazine printer and sixth largest catalog printer in the US. Brown employs more than 2,200 non-union employees in three web offset printing facilities that produce over 1,000 different magazines and catalogs. With a rich history in producing high-quality materials and consistently exceeding our customers’ expectations, Brown has developed a commitment to clients that offers...The Brown Difference.