The Latest

A federal agency has taken over the Standard Register Co. retirement plan. The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. last week said it will now be making payments to more than 8,500 current and future retirees of The Stanreco Plan, which was sponsored by the Dayton-based company. PBGC will pay all pension benefits earned by the plan's retirees up to the legal limit of $60,136 a year for a 65-year-old. Retirees will continue to get benefits without interruption, and future retirees can apply for benefits as soon as they are eligible.

HALO Branded Solutions, Sterling, Ill., announced the acquisition of Harvey-Daco, an industry distributor established in 1949 and headquartered in Waco, Texas.

Folder Express, a division of Ennis Inc., will be relocating manufacturing operations to a company-owned facility in Columbus, Kan. The company's current lease expires at the end of this year.

Last week, Print+Promo announced an alliance between Butler Street, a leading management consulting, training and research firm focused on client and talent development, and our sister publication Printing Impressions. Together, they will provide the de facto industry standard for measuring customer loyalty through the Best of Print & Digital Customer Survey.

Company sales for Staples, Framingham, Mass., during the second quarter of 2015, which ended Aug. 1, dropped to $4.9 billion, 5 percent lower than the same quarter in 2014. However, when excluding the impact of store closures in North America during the past year and changes in foreign exchange rates, total company sales increased 1 percent during the second quarter.

SRC Liquidation Co.—what's left of the former Standard Register Co. going through Chapter 11 bankruptcy—made a management change to save money. The company hired a new interim management services firm, Boston-based WilliamsMarston LLC, and appointed Landen Williams as chief restructuring officer.

Butler Street, a leading management consulting, training and research firm focused on client and talent development, has formed an alliance with Printing Impressions, America's most influential and widely read resource for the printing industry, to provide the de facto industry standard for measuring customer loyalty through its Best of Print & Digital Customer Survey. 

RR Donnelley & Sons will begin to lay off 91 employees this week as part of a permanent closing of its TOPS Products distribution center in Georgetown. The company recently gave notice about the closing to Georgetown Mayor Tom Prather and the Kentucky Office of Employment and Training.

The U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) continues its commitment to providing employees a discrimination-free work environment. As FY 2015 comes to a close, GPO has had eight formal equal employment opportunity (EEO) complaints filed, which represents a 53 percent decrease from FY 2014 and an 84 percent decrease from FY 2013.

Last week, Inc. published its annual Inc. 5000 list, a list of the fastest-growing private companies in America. As our sister publication, Promo Marketing, has reported in previous years, a number of industry suppliers and distributors made the ranks. This year, we counted 42 promotional products companies among the 5,000.