Posted: 8/8/06
Library automation business heading to Illinois
By David Heiller
Argus News Editor
Follett Software Company plans to move its newly-acquired Sagebrush library automation business from Caledonia to McHenry, Illinois.
Follett President Tom Schenck announced that plan in a teleconference on July 31. He said the company will integrate all support in Follettís home office in McHenry, Illinois. The transition could take up to three years, and several employees will relocate, Shenck said.
Follett did not release specific numbers, or how many if any Caledonia employees will lose their jobs from the merger.
Sagebrush Corporation announced the sale of its library automation business to Follett Software Company on July 27. It gives Follett an estimated 60-70 percent of the K-12 library automation market. Follett now has Sagebrushís Accent, InfoCentre, Athena, and Spectrum products.
The two companies had been competitors and some of the products overlap, such as Follettís Destiny Library Manager and Sagebrushís InfoCentre and Accent. Destiny will be the combined companyís ìflagship product,î Schenck said.
Sagebrush will stay
Sagebrush Books, Sagebrush Library Services, and Sagebrush Viewpoint will continue in Caledonia as a new separate company called Savia, LLC, company officials said on August 1.
Senior vice president Margo Osadchuk said that Savia would be moving its books and library services business from 131 Bissen Street to its downtown location at 131 South Kingston. Twenty five employees will move to the downtown location, Osadchuk said.
ìBusiness as usual for Savia,î she said in describing the change.
Bob Hebrink will serve as CEO of Savia LLC. He and Osadchuk stressed leadership, innovation, and growth in last weekís teleconference.
They said the books division would retain its current staff and work to increase sales through its direct sales force.
The library service would enter new markets in the retail and public library areas, and would launch new services, Osadchuk said. The marketing and tradeshow play would be revealed in 2007, they said.
Jim Zicarelli, former CEO of Sagebrush Corporation will continue with the new company as a member of its Board of Directors.
Sagebrush has an office in Caledonia, as well as Topeka, Kansas; Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; and its corporate headquarters in Minneapolis. The Sagebrush library automation business, under the new Follett leadership, will initially continue to operate under the Sagebrush name.
Sagebrush purchased Winnebago Software of Caledonia in 2000. Jeb Griffth of Caledonia founded Winnebago Software in 1982.
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