Geiger
Corporate brand
UnclaimedGeiger is a family-owned promotional-products and advertising-specialties distributor headquartered in Lewiston, Maine.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Geiger is a privately held advertising-specialties and promotional-products company with roots in nineteenth-century commercial printing. The business was founded in 1878 in Newark, New Jersey, when brothers Andrew and Jacob Geiger took over their father’s small, two-room print shop. Its early assortment included advertising calendars, paper fans, and greeting cards, produced by a very small staff consisting of the brothers, a printer, and a bookkeeper. Over time, the company expanded from printing into a broader supplier and distributor of products used by organizations for marketing, customer relations, events, and corporate identity. The next generation of the family joined during the early twentieth century. Frank, Charles, and George Geiger added date books and diaries to the catalog, helping the company move beyond traditional print work. In the 1930s, Frank Geiger’s sons Ray and Frank entered the business. Frank developed the company’s role as a distributor of advertising-specialty products made by other manufacturers, a change that helped establish the business model associated with Geiger today: sourcing, merchandising, selling, and distributing branded promotional goods rather than relying solely on in-house manufacturing. Geiger relocated its headquarters from New Jersey to Lewiston, Maine, in 1955. The Maine facility was expanded several times and underwent a major renovation during 2017 and 2018. The project incorporated a 696-panel solar array intended to supply all of the renovated facility’s electricity needs. In 2019, the headquarters received LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, giving the company a notable environmental feature within its operations and corporate facilities. The company has remained family-owned and family-managed across five generations. Ray Geiger’s son Gene became chairman, while his grandson David became president. Ray’s son Peter Geiger also carried the family’s publishing interests forward through the Farmers’ Almanac. Geiger’s leadership structure has included both family members and professional executives; Jo-an Lantz has served as chief executive officer since 2019. Geiger’s business scope has included promotional merchandise and advertising specialties sold through a sizeable sales organization. Reference material describes the company as having more than 500 employees and more than 550 sales representatives, and as one of the largest family-owned and family-managed distributors in its industry. Its offerings have historically ranged from printed calendars, cards, fans, date books, and diaries to promotional products manufactured by third parties. The company’s manufactured-products division was divested to Canada-based Blueline in 2013, indicating a strategic emphasis on distribution and related service capabilities rather than retaining every manufacturing activity. A distinctive part of Geiger’s history is its connection with the Farmers’ Almanac. The annual publication, founded in 1818 by David Young, was acquired by Ray and Ann Geiger in 1949 through the rights to the Almanac Publishing Company and the Farmers’ Almanac. Geiger Brothers subsequently produced and distributed the publication. Peter Geiger succeeded Ray as editor in 1994 and continued the traditional editorial designation “Philom,” derived from “philomath,” meaning a lover of knowledge. The Farmers’ Almanac is associated with practical material on weather, gardening, cooking, household management, remedies, and environmental stewardship. Although it is a publishing property rather than a conventional promotional-products line, it forms an important part of the Geiger family’s corporate and cultural legacy. Geiger’s present identity is therefore best understood as that of a long-established, privately owned promotional-products distributor with an unusually deep family history, a national U.S. operating base, and an associated publishing heritage. It is not a German food brand; the authoritative encyclopedia subject concerns the American advertising-specialties corporation headquartered in Maine.
History
Geiger began in 1878 as Geiger Brothers, a small printing business in Newark, New Jersey. Andrew and Jacob Geiger assumed control of their father’s two-room print shop and produced a modest assortment of advertising calendars, fans, and greeting cards. The company’s early workforce consisted of the two brothers, a printer, and a bookkeeper. Its products connected commercial printing with the needs of businesses seeking inexpensive branded materials for customers and prospects. During the early twentieth century, the family’s second generation—Frank, Charles, and George Geiger—joined the operation. They expanded the catalog with date books and diaries, extending the business into useful paper goods that could carry a company’s name or message. In the 1930s, Frank’s sons Ray and Frank entered the company. Frank helped redirect Geiger toward the distribution of advertising-specialty products made by other companies. This shift was significant because it established a broader distribution model and reduced the company’s dependence on manufacturing its own printed articles. Ray Geiger developed a parallel publishing legacy. In 1949, Ray and Ann Geiger obtained rights associated with the Almanac Publishing Company and the Farmers’ Almanac, a publication founded in 1818 by David Young. Geiger Brothers produced and distributed the Farmers’ Almanac thereafter. The publication covers practical subjects including weather, gardening, cooking, household management, remedies, and environmental concerns. Ray later served as its editor for approximately six decades. His son Peter Geiger succeeded him in 1994, retained the traditional “Philom” designation, and continued the family’s association with the publication. Geiger moved its corporate base to Lewiston, Maine, in 1955. The headquarters facility was expanded four times as the organization grew. A substantial renovation took place in 2017 and 2018, and the project added a 696-panel solar array designed to generate all of the electricity required by the renovated facility. In 2019, the building received LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. These facility investments became part of the company’s operating story and sustainability profile. The corporation remained controlled and managed by the Geiger family over five generations. Ray’s son Gene became chairman, and his grandson David became president. Peter Geiger became vice chairman while also maintaining the family’s publishing role. At the same time, the company used professional management; Jo-an Lantz became chief executive officer in 2019. In its promotional-products business, Geiger developed into a large distributor of advertising specialties, supported by more than 500 employees and more than 550 sales representatives according to the reference description. Its business has included the sourcing and distribution of branded merchandise for organizational marketing, corporate identity, events, and customer engagement. The company’s early printed goods remained historically important, while its later activities extended across products manufactured by outside suppliers. On March 6, 2013, Geiger agreed to divest its manufactured-products division to Blueline of Canada. The transaction marked a portfolio decision to separate manufacturing from the company’s principal distribution and promotional-products activities. Geiger’s continuing identity is that of a privately held, family-owned advertising-specialties distributor headquartered in Lewiston, rather than a German food company or another business using the Geiger name.
- 2019
LEED Gold certification and new CEO
[1]Geiger’s Maine headquarters received LEED Gold certification, and Jo-an Lantz became chief executive officer.
- 2017
Headquarters renovation begins
[1]The Lewiston facility underwent an extensive renovation that continued into 2018 and included a 696-panel solar array.
- 2013
Manufactured-products division is divested
[1]Geiger agreed to divest its manufactured-products division to Canadian company Blueline.
- 1994
Peter Geiger succeeds Ray as Farmers’ Almanac editor
[1]Peter Geiger became editor of the Farmers’ Almanac and continued the family’s editorial tradition.
- 1955
Headquarters moves to Lewiston, Maine
[1]Geiger relocated its headquarters from Newark, New Jersey, to Lewiston, Maine.
- 1949
Geiger family obtains Farmers’ Almanac rights
[1]Ray and Ann Geiger obtained rights to the Almanac Publishing Company and Farmers’ Almanac, which Geiger Brothers subsequently produced and distributed.
- 1878
Geiger Brothers is established in Newark
[1]Andrew and Jacob Geiger took over their father’s print shop and established the business that became Geiger.
- 1818
Farmers’ Almanac is founded
[1]David Young founded the Farmers’ Almanac, a publication that later became associated with the Geiger family and business.
Products and positioning
A multigenerational, family-owned distributor of promotional products and advertising specialties, combining broad product sourcing and sales support with a long-standing publishing heritage.
Advertising specialties
Promotional merchandise
Geiger’s central business is the distribution of products used by organizations for marketing, brand visibility, events, customer engagement, and corporate identity. The company sources products made by other manufacturers and supports their sale through a large representative network.
Print products · 1878
Printed advertising goods
The company began with printed advertising calendars, paper fans, and greeting cards. These products represent Geiger’s original connection between commercial printing and promotional communications.
Printed promotional products
Date books and diaries
Date books and diaries were added by the second generation of the Geiger family during the early twentieth century, expanding the company’s range of practical branded paper goods.
Publishing · 1818
Farmers’ Almanac
The Farmers’ Almanac is an annual compendium covering weather, gardening, cooking, household management, remedies, and environmental topics. Geiger has produced and distributed the publication since the Geiger family obtained its rights in 1949.
Brand decisions
2017
Sustainability-focused headquarters renovationStrategyBackground
Geiger renovated its Lewiston headquarters during 2017 and 2018 as part of the continued development of its main operating facility.
Action taken
The renovation incorporated a 696-panel solar array intended to generate all of the power needed by the renovated facility.
Aftermath
The headquarters received LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council in 2019.
2013
Divestiture of the manufactured-products divisionM&ABackground
Geiger operated across promotional-products distribution and manufactured products. The company agreed to divest the manufactured-products division to Blueline, a Canadian company.
Action taken
On March 6, 2013, Geiger agreed to transfer the manufactured-products division to Blueline.
Aftermath
The transaction separated the manufacturing activity from Geiger’s principal identity as a distributor of advertising specialties and promotional products. The available reference does not provide transaction value or further operating details.
Recent events
Reported
Geiger releases Mantle seating collection[2]
Geiger released its Mantle seating collection, designed in partnership with BassamFellows. The collection includes lounge seating options and is available for purchase in multiple colors and configurations.
Reported
Geiger acquires Five Thousand Forms[3]
Geiger announced that it had acquired Five Thousand Forms, a distributor doing business as GiveMeFive.com, as part of its expansion strategy to broaden its client base and services nationally.
- Unconfirmed
Reported
GeigerBTC acquires Shout Promotional Merchandise[4]
GeigerBTC, a subsidiary of Geiger, acquired London-based distributor Shout Promotional Merchandise. The source does not specify the acquisition date; the article was published on October 24, 2019.
Sources4 sources
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