The Kennedy Group acquires Florida Marking Products

The Kennedy Group in Willoughby, Ohio has officially announced the successful acquisition of Florida Marking Products based in Orlando, Florida.

Kennedy Group president Michael Kennedy said, “By putting together the best of both companies we gain expanded capacity and capabilities. The addition of a Southern operation is a key part of our three-pronged growth strategy.” 

Over the coming months, the company headquarters in the Cleveland area will integrate and leverage the combined forces of three production plants, the RFID Customer Solutions Center, sales offices in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Orlando and Atlanta, as well as affiliate offices. The company is poised to grow business opportunities in the Southeast region, adding to its current base of over 3,000 clients in 40 states and seven countries.

The Kennedy Group was established in 1974 as a privately held, family owned business. Since then, it has grown into a leading developer and manufacturer of branding, labeling, promotional, tracking and identification solutions for such diverse industries as consumer products, health and beauty products, private label, retail, entertainment, industrial, automotive, materials handling, biomedical, healthcare, chemical and agriculture. The company includes four divisions – Label and Packaging Products, Material Handling Identification Systems, RFID Solutions and Promotional Response Products.

Florida Marking Products (FMP) was founded in 1984 as a manufacturer and marketer of specialty and custom labels, durable identification products, commercial marking, promotional items, as well as signs to industrial and commercial customers. Jackie Abrams, FMP president, said, “Our teams are energized by the growth initiatives underway. We’ve gained added strengths and new production capabilities that advance our objectives to introduce unique offerings valued by our customers.”

Kennedy highlighted the importance of the Florida expansion, “This Southeast footprint and base of operations solidify our efforts to expand our market reach and client base. Our collaborative structure can back up the other. The Orlando team and facility improves service to customers in the Southeast with shorter lead times and more regional support. Our combined organizations have the ability to bring knowledge, quality and a full offering of solutions to the marketplace.”