By 1812Blockhouse
Social media was buzzing on Friday about an apparent Thursday announcement by Lifetouch concerning a planned February 4 closure of its Church Directories Division.
This closure, in turn, would lead to a reduction in employment at its Ontario and/or Galion locations, according to the announcement.
Founded just outside Galion in the 1960s, the Division was originally named United Church Directories, and was started by Nelson Jones and Del Bellew. In its heyday, the company created some 10,000 pictorial directories a year for churches across the country.
United Church Directories was eventually headquartered on State Route 598 north of Galion, and was acquired by Lifetouch in 1995 for $100 million.
Shutterfly acquired Lifetouch in 2018 for $825 million.
In June of this year, Shutterfly purchased the former Bookery location at 2300 West Fourth Street in Ontario. At the time, a statement from Shutterfly Corporated Communications indicated that the new facility would house “support staff for our Church photography business and pre-Manufacturing teams.”
It is unknown how many employees will be affected by this closure at the Ontario or Galion locations, or if the company is planning on adding to or adjusting local product lines.
1812Blockhouse will follow this story and provide updates as available.
