Industry veteran Fred Lerner acquires MailPix.com

Fred H. Lerner, CEO, MailPix Inc.

Fred H. Lerner, a veteran within the photo specialty and e-commerce industries, announced the acquisition of MailPix.com, an early-stage online-imaging website. Specific terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. The MailPix.com site will be temporarily closed for updates, but is scheduled to re-launch May 1.

According to Lerner, MailPix.com is ideally equipped to serve the large and growing online imaging market.

“I’m impressed by the site’s advanced Facebook, iPhone and Android technology, as well as the overall business model,” says Lerner. “It also has great URL.

“Online imaging is almost a $2 billion industry, and that doesn’t even include the enormous opportunity of the billions of photos on Facebook, Twitter, smartphones, computers and cameras,” adds Lerner.

Lerner was previously the co-founder, president and CEO of Ritz Interactive Inc., Irvine, Calif. During his long photo industry career, he was president and CEO, Kodak Processing Labs Inc., a division of Eastman Kodak Co.‘s Qualex Inc., after selling Lerner Photo Inc., Irvine, Calif., to Qualex. He began his career with Berkey Photo.

Lerner also served as president of RCI Acquisition LLC, which acquired Ritz Camera Centers Inc. under Section 363 of the Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Code. He was international president of the Photo Marketing Association International (PMA) from 2005-06, and served on many PMA committees. Lerner currently serves as a board member of International Photographic Council (IPC), a non-governmental body of the United Nations, where he is a Hall of Fame recipient.

Advisor for the transaction was James Joaquin, a partner of Catamount Ventures. He was president and CEO of Ofoto, leading that company from its start through the successful acquisition by Kodak.