Company Profile
School Specialty
Company Overview
School Specialty is a leading education company that provides innovative and proprietary products, programs and services to help educators engage and inspire students of all ages and abilities to learn.
School Specialty designs, develops, and provides PreK-12 educators with the latest and very best curriculum, supplemental learning resources, and school supplies.
Working in collaboration with educators, School Specialty reaches beyond the scope of textbooks to help teachers, guidance counselors, and school administrators ensure that every student reaches his or her full potential.
Company History
School Specialty to Celebrate 50th Anniversary
Despite the difficult economy, 2009 is a year to celebrate for School Specialty. On October 19, 2009, School Specialty will become 50 years old. It was on that date in 1959 that our company was officially incorporated as Valley School and Office Supply – beginning a half century of helping educators engage and inspire students of all ages and abilities to learn.
The company was formed after local Appleton, Wisconsin, businessman Ed Schrage sold Universal Paper, which was primarily a paper merchant, but it also operated a small division that sold school supplies. Mr. Schrage sold the paper side of the business, and kept the school supplies business, naming his new company Valley School and Office Supply, which was later shortened to Valley School Supply. After about a year running the business, he brought in a group of five local investors to share ownership in the fledgling company, and a short time later left the company entirely, selling his interest to the other investors. That group of investors included John Spalding, the father of former School Specialty CEO Dan Spalding; Don Killoren, father of current VP of Lean Transformation Mike Killoren; and three Green Bay Packers: Bob Skoronski, Willie Davis and Ron Kostelnik.
Over the course of the next two decades beginning in the mid 1960s, Valley School Supply embarked on a diversification effort that involved actions such as opening retail stores and selling to churches. However the non-core businesses were money losers, and by 1988 the company was struggling financially. It was at this time that the modern era of School Specialty was ushered in, with the hiring of John Spalding’s son, Dan, as Chief Executive Officer, who was given the task of turning the company around.
Dan Spalding had been CEO of nearby JanSport, a rapidly growing supplier of backpacks and apparel, which Dan and his partner Kim Vanderhyden, currently a trainer for our Educational Resources group, had acquired in 1980. During the first five years of JanSport ownership, Dan orchestrated a dramatic increase in sales by dropping non-core product lines and executing a national distribution strategy for the company’s backpacks. In 1988, he brought that same successful business strategy to Valley School Supply, selling off businesses that were losing money, and refocusing the company to achieve a national presence in its primary school supplies and furniture markets.
After a number of acquisitions from 1988 to 1994 to expand Valley School Supply’s geographic presence, in 1995 the company purchased School Specialty Supply in Salina, KS, and assumed the company’s name, becoming School Specialty, Inc.
Much has transpired for School Specialty since the mid 1990s. About 50 acquisitions were completed over a 13-year period, and School Specialty was sold to U.S. Office Products in 1996. Two years later School Specialty was spun off from USOP, once again becoming an independent company, but this time as a public company traded on the Nasdaq stock exchange. A dark chapter in the company’s history was to follow with the sudden and unexpected death of CEO Dan Spalding at the age of 47. He was stricken by a fatal heart attack while on a ski vacation in Colorado in March of 2002.
Typical of Dan’s business preparedness, he left behind a strong management team that kept the company focused and moving forward. He was succeeded by current CEO Dave Vander Zanden, who had worked closely with Dan the previous four years as Chief Operating Officer.
As we move through our 2009 anniversary year, Connections will share more detail concerning School Specialty’s 50-year history. We’ll also recognize the longevity and rich histories of several of our other businesses, many of which are older than School Specialty. In the meantime, if you find yourself depressed over the difficult 2009 business environment, instead reflect on School Specialty’s strength and market leadership that has been built over the past half century. We’ve faced challenges in the past, and emerged as a stronger company – we’ll do the same again!
Benefits
401(k)
Employee Assistance Program
Education Reimbursement
Employer Promise and Company Match
Employer Promise - Education and Charitable Activities
Adoption Benefits