In June of 2002, Northeastern Envelope shut its doors after 60 years of making envelopes. The closure left many of its former customers with few options. It also left many experienced envelope professionals with fewer options. Dave and Tracie Theriault, along with a former partner who had also been working at Northeastern, decided to take the entrepreneurial leap and started their own company. The objective was to re-introduce envelope converting and manufacturing to the Boston area and to put their experience and knowledge to work in order to do it better than before – hence the name Elite Envelope.
As part of its mission, Elite Envelope only hired the most experienced and capable manufacturing people in the industry. They built a team and a culture that went beyond manufacturing and printing – they innovated and solved customer problems, they patented new products, and started to gain a reputation as the firm that handle the hardest of projects. They became artisans of the envelope industry.
Six months after commencing operations, the company surpassed $1mm in sales and over 100 companies had placed orders. Dave and Tracie created a culture of excellence – an Elite Culture – where customer service was at the forefront. This emphasis on the highest level of personal service and always finding a solution to any request has allowed them to excel despite a very competitive and evolving market.
Dave and Tracie were the type of people that really knew their team members. They knew their key suppliers personally. When Highland was introduced to Dave and Tracie in early 2024 we knew these were exactly the type of clients we love to help. Their two sons had already graduated college and they started to seriously think about exit planning for themselves personally. They had sacrificed and given so much of their time over the past 20 years to make Elite Envelope successful, they started yearning for that time, in their next chapter personally. We remember the first dinner we had with Dave and Tracie, they had mentioned wanting to buy a small property in Europe and make travel the norm, rather than the exception.
Highland ran a process that sought to find the right fit for Elite Envelope’s team and clients, providing a brighter future than they had today. But we also knew it was our mission to help provide Dave and Tracie with a legacy enhancing transaction that would free them personally. While both of them will stay on for a transition period, they are extremely excited and relieved to be in a position to embark on their next chapter filled with family and travel, with their other child – Elite Envelope – in good hands going forward.
.png)