Chattanooga’s Olan Mills Inc. has sold the photography business to Minnesota-based Lifetouch Inc., officials said today.
The acquisition includes the Olan Mills church and studio photography businesses and its production operation located in Chattanooga.
Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Lifetouch will hire substantially all existing Olan Mills employees, officials said.
Lifetouch earlier had acquired Olan Mills’ school photography business.
For full story, see Thursday’s Times Free Press.
Mike Pare, the deputy Business editor at the Chattanooga Times Free Press, has worked at the paper for 27 years. In addition to editing, Mike also writes Business stories and covers Volkswagen, economic development and manufacturing in Chattanooga and the surrounding area. In the past he also has covered higher education. Mike, a native of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., received a bachelor’s degree in communications from Florida Atlantic University. he worked at the Rome News-Tribune before ...
related articles »
Olan Mills photography developed a close relationship with Chattanooga over the past 70 years, but that picture is fading away.
Minnesota-based Lifetouch plans to shut down the Olan Mills operations in Chattanooga it purchased last November and cut about 380 ...
Olan Mills II, the 81-year-old namesake of what was once America's largest portrait studio, said Thursday the sale of his ...
One of Chattanooga's most recognizable companies changed hands Wednesday when photography icon Olan Mills was bought by competitor Lifetouch Inc.
Olan Mills sells out to corporate greedy life-touch who will destroy it's name in a matter of no time. This company isn't founded by photographers but professional salesmen and if you look them up on the internet you will find lots of complains by unhappy customers as well as people that have worked for the corporate machine.It's a sad state the photography industry is in and this company buys up any company that is struggling to survive these tough economic times in which we live.I wish anyone that deals with this corporate giant the best of luck or anyone that has to work for them because this is corporate greed at it's finest!
Lifetouch buying Olan Mills will be a good thing for the Name, Family and Church Portrait buyers, and especially for the Olan Mills Employees. Why? Lifetouch has developed a successful formula for providing quality images to America's families and for supporting their (Lifetouch's) employees. It is a Employee Owned company. What that means is that employees will begin to own part of the company as they work successfully as a team to help it succeed. I know several Lifetouch employees and hear very good things about they way Lifetouch insists their customers are cared for and how Lifetouch cares for it's employees. There is of course accountability where the less motivated individuals may find themselves out of work. So, it's up the the New Lifetouch employees to make the best of a good thing or get left standing by the side. Good luck to all the New Lifetouch Team Members. It's going be be nerve racking as they adjust to new standards but it will be good for the industry.
Hey, "Aledar"- Now that Lifetouch is shutting down Olan Mills a little more than 2 months after they made the purchase (costing 380 employees their jobs) and you made your comment, do you still have the same glowing opinion of them?
Or login with:
New Account