In a major deal in the educational wholesaling business, Mackin Educational Resources has acquired Booksource. Mackin, headquartered in Burnsville, Minn., is a provider of PreK-12 print and digital titles, educational products, and classroom curriculum materials; it sees the purchase of St. Louis–based Boooksource, which provides books for classroom and school curriculum use, as a natural complement to its business.
Booksource was founded by Sandy Jaffe in 1974 as a trade wholesaler and entered the K-12 education market in 1986. In 2004, Jaffe’s three children took over management of the company, and later that year the decision was made to close Booksource’s trade division to focus on its school and library business. By 2019, the last year for which figures are available, Booksource’s sales topped $160 million. Founder Sandy Jaffe died in 2019 and, in 2021, Neil Jaffe became majority owner as well as company chairman and president.
“Handing the reins of our St. Louis operations to another family-owned business and industry leader like Mackin was an easy decision based on their continuing success and the stellar reputation they have in the education market,” said Neil Jaffe, in a statement. The company’s St. Louis office will remain open following the acquisition.
Founded in 1983 by Randal and Kitty Heise, who still own it, Mackin distributes more than 4.2 million print and digital titles to the PreK-12 market. “For many decades, Booksource and Mackin have grown steadily and are widely seen as the most trusted suppliers of educational resources for schools across the map,” said Randal Heise, in a statement. “To carry the torch that Booksource and the Jaffe family have created, is an honor for Mackin and the Heise family as we continue to serve K-12 educators worldwide.”
