Great Northern announces an expansion and growth initiative through the acquisition of United Displaycraft, based in Chicago, Ill., effective January 1, 2018.

United Displaycraft is a custom manufacturer of permanent display solutions that promote products at retail. They are a full service manufacturer producing metal, wire, wood, and print solutions from their facilities in Des Plains and Belvidere, Ill., and also have a strong Asian sourcing process to complement their internal manufacturing, which allows them to offer a wide breadth of permanent and interactive display capabilities. They are known in the market for their strong commitment to quality and customer service.

Great Northern’s mission is to help their customers ‘win’ by doing what others can’t or won’t. Through this acquisition, Great Northern Instore can now offer a richer, more robust portfolio of merchandising display solutions that include a full range of permanent, interactive, semi-perm and temporary display capabilities.

Mike Schliesmann, Sr. VP, Business Unit Manager further explained, “With this expansion of resources and capabilities, Great Northern Instore can create more impactful and compelling shopping experiences to fully engage shoppers at retail as an answer to e-commerce competition.”

The two companies also share a similar cultures and values. “The acquisition combines two successful, privately-owned companies with similar cultures and values. Both companies are employee focused and customer driven with experienced creative teams, and share a deep commitment to quality, innovation, and service,” explained John Davis, CEO of Great Northern.

United Displaycraft will continue to operate under the United Displaycraft brand after the acquisition, and target fully transitioning to the Great Northern Instore brand in early 2019. 

Rich Carrigan, United Displaycraft’s current President, will continue to lead United Displaycraft after the acquisition. “We are excited for the opportunity our team has to work with the Great Northern Instore group and bring our expanded combined capabilities to our customers” stated Rich Carrigan. He added, “I know Great Northern’s team is equally excited about what this acquisition means for their customer base.” 

Mike Schliesmann added, “The United Displaycraft acquisition is a natural fit for Great Northern with the complementary corporate cultures and values, as well as the strategic growth opportunity. It gives us a solid foundation for a successful integration.”