4600 W. Roosevelt Rd., Hillside 60162, 708-449-8600
– Founded: 1908
– Fiscal year-end: July 31
– Chief executive
Theodore Dimitriou, 65, since 1974
1991 cash compensation: $650,860
Shares owned: 233,025 of 21.7 million common shares
– Employees: 2,993; 1,000 in Illinois
– Foreign sales: not reported; $458.8 million total in 1991
– May 1, 1992 value of $1,000 in company stock:
Purchased May 1, 1991: $919
Purchased May 1, 1987: $1,197
– Since it opened its doors as a commercial printing company in Skokie 84 years ago, Wallace has participated in the office-products industry`s transformation. The company has seen the industry move from a primarily paper- dependent orientation to one that is computer-driven and electronically linked.
– The strategy at Wallace is to continue to meld its products with electronic technology, producing value-added products such as bar-code systems, software, an electronic data interchange service, pressure-sensitive business labels and inventory analysis. The company also will continue to tailor products to specific industries, such as health care and financial services.
– In 1991 Wallace completed its move to a 300,000-square-foot distribution center in St. Charles and also acquired MGI Industries, a direct- mail advertising firm in New York, for $13 million in cash. Net earnings were down 11.5 percent from the previous year, reflecting, its officers said, the recession`s continued impact on Wallace`s markets.
