The Company
Founded in 1969, Sinauer Associates, Inc. is globally-respected as a leading publisher of college/graduate-level textbooks and educational multimedia in biology, psychology, neuroscience, and allied disciplines. Sinauer currently has 126 titles in print, many of which are seminal works and best-sellers in their markets.
The Challenge
Founder, Andrew Sinauer, was intent on preserving the company’s legacy, maintaining its workplace culture, and continuing employment for his loyal staff. In addition to maximizing value, the right investor would:
- Maintain operations in Sunderland, Massachusetts
- Keep the Sinauer brand and imprint
- Commit to maintain a total level of compensation and employee benefits consistent with historic rates and benefits
- Commit to employing all Sinuaer employees
- Preserve Sinauer’s editorial license and author relationships
Working against the founder’s objectives, in the publishing industry it is typical for acquirers to eliminate all overhead costs and absorb the acquired titles into the purchaser’s infrastructure to maximize profit.
“For 47 years, this company has been our life’s work. It was very important for us to ensure that this legacy would be perpetuated beyond my family’s ownership. It was apparent that Oxford University Press shares our dedication to publishing superior content and is committed to maintaining our 32 employees, the operation in Sunderland and our long-standing author relationships.” – Andrew Sinauer, Founder & President
The Solution
Given Sinauer’s emphasis on qualitative factors and cultural fit requirements, Peloton orchestrated a customized strategy targeting a select group of pre-approved international and domestic publishing companies. To determine the best qualitative “fit,” Peloton traveled globally to conduct in-person presentations and discussions with key decisions makers at each publisher.
Sinauer selected Oxford University Press, a department of the University of Oxford, England and the oldest publishing company in the English-speaking world. In North America, OUP is a not-for-profit publisher. OUP is also the largest university press in the world with the widest global presence, operating in 52 countries with 6,300 employees worldwide.
In Oxford, Sinauer found a new owner that values much more than its potential profit contribution. OUP values Sinauer’s educational content, human capital talent, production and design capabilities and editorial excellence. Fulfilling the founder’s objectives, Sinauer Associates continues its mission in Sunderland, Massachusetts as an imprint of Oxford University Press.
