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Curt Matthews, CEO of Chicago Review Press, Inc. announces his retirement

December 7, 2015

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CHICAGO—Curt Matthews, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Chicago Review Press,Inc., the parent company of Chicago Review Press Books (CRP), Triumph Books, and Independent Publishers Group (IPG), has announced that he will step down from the daily management of CRP, Inc.at the end of this year. He made the announcement internally to staff at the company’s holiday party on Thursday, December 3rd and informed IPG distributed publishers on Friday, December 4th. Matthews’ son Joe Matthews, currently IPG’s Chief Operations Officer, will take over as CEO beginning inJanuary 2016. Curt will stay on as the company’s Chairman of the Board and keep an office at companyheadquarters to insure a smooth management transition.

About the new CEO Matthews says: “Joe has been with the company now for ten years and hasworn many hats. He has a record of strong performance in Sales and Marketing, IT, Operations, andFinancial Management. He has the energy and new ideas that can keep CRP, Inc. vital and growing foranother 40 years.”

Curt Matthews founded Chicago Review Press in 1973 with his wife, Linda Matthews. Sincethen, CRP Books has grown into a dynamic midsize publisher with more than 650 titles in print. In1987, the company acquired IPG, the first organization specifically created for the purpose of marketingtitles from independent presses to the book trade. Today, IPG is the second-largest independent bookdistributor in the country, and its wide market reach includes publishers of academic, Spanish-language,computer and general trade nonfiction and fiction titles. In 2009 CRP acquired Trafalgar Square Publishing which exclusively distributes the most important UK publishers in the US Market, includingPenguin Random House UK. In 2011 CRP, Inc. acquired a majority interest in Triumph Books, thelargest independent publisher of sports books in the US.

Of his time at Chicago Review Press, Inc., Matthews says, “It has been a wild ride. Thepublication of one book turned into a company that now supplies 56,000 titles to readers all around theEnglish speaking world.”

As for retirement, Matthews joked that he is “hoping that it adds up to the wonderful longvacation my retired friends rave about.”

For questions, please contact Caitlin Eck, Publicity Manager, at [email protected] or 312-337-0747.

Additional Coverage:

PW Daily: "IPG Head Curt Matthews to Retire"

Shelf Awareness: "Curt Matthews Retiring from Chicago Review Press"

Publishers Lunch: "Founder and CEO of Chicago Review Press Curt Matthews announced he will retire..."