Jostens is an American manufacturer of memorabilia. The company is primarily known for its production of
yearbooks and
class rings for various
high school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
s and
college
A college ( Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...
s as well as
championship rings for sports. Jostens also produced photobook products for
Disney's PhotoPass photography service offered at Disney theme parks and resorts.
As well as its headquarters near Minneapolis and operational offices in Owatonna, Minn., Jostens has facilities in Clarksville, Tenn.; Denton, Texas; Eagan, Minn.; Laurens, S.C.; Sedalia, Mo.; Shelbyville, Tenn.; the Dominican Republic; and Mexico.
History
Otto Josten founded the company as a watch-repair business in Owatonna in 1897. Jostens (then called "Josten's" — the apostrophe was later dropped) began manufacturing emblems and awards for nearby schools and in 1906, the year of incorporation, Josten added class rings to his product line, to be sold to schools throughout the Midwest. Jostens created the American Yearbook Company in 1950, later merging it under the Jostens brand.
On October 14, 2015,
Jarden acquired Jostens from Visant Corporation, stating that it planned to take advantage of synergies with its other properties (particularly
Rawlings and
Yankee Candle), and "turn it into a true consumer-product business, as opposed to it historically being run like a printing asset".
Jarden merged with Newell Rubbermaid in 2016 to form
Newell Brands. In 2018, Newell Brands sold Jostens to Platinum Equity for $1.3 billion.
Products
Jostens is the primary supplier of
Super Bowl rings
The Super Bowl ring is an award in the National Football League given to the team members of the winning team of the league's annual championship game, the Super Bowl. Since only one Vince Lombardi Trophy is awarded to the team (ownership) itse ...
, and has made 31 champion rings in the
Super Bowl's 50-year history .
In April 2015, Jostens launched the world's first
Adobe InDesign
Adobe InDesign is a desktop publishing and page layout designing software application produced by Adobe Inc. and first released in 1999. It can be used to create works such as posters, flyers, brochures, magazines, newspapers, presentations, b ...
streaming partnership with
Adobe Inc.
Adobe Inc. ( ), originally called Adobe Systems Incorporated, is an American multinational computer software company incorporated in Delaware
and headquartered in San Jose, California. It has historically specialized in software for the crea ...
, called "Monarch," at the
Journalism Education Association spring convention in
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United ...
.
See also
*
L.G. Balfour Company
Balfour is an American producer of high school, college, military, and championship rings, and well as yearbooks, caps and gowns, and graduation announcements. Founded in 1913 as the L.G. Balfour Company, Balfour is an operating unit of Commemo ...
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Companies based in Minneapolis
Design companies established in 1897
Jewelry companies of the United States
Printing companies of the United States
Publishing companies of the United States
Private equity portfolio companies
Yearbooks
Manufacturing companies established in 1897
1897 establishments in Minnesota
Publishing companies established in 1897
2015 mergers and acquisitions
2016 mergers and acquisitions
2018 mergers and acquisitions