Bookcraft Inc.'s largest customer, Deseret Book, is also its biggest competitor.
But when the companies battle for the dollars of LDS readers, their rivalry is not as intense as, say, the computer wars between Microsoft and Apple. Brad Pelo, Bookcraft president and chief executive, said some computer companies look at Microsoft as an evil empire, but he does not see the LDS Church-owned Deseret Book that way."We don't harbor those kinds of feelings," Pelo said. "We like to think of it as friendly competition."
Ron Millett, Deseret Book president, agreed that the two companies have had a good relationship over the years. Deseret Book traces its roots back to 1886, while Bookcraft was formed in 1942.
"We are one of their larger customers, I would think, through the Deseret Book retail side of our company," Millett said. "On the publishing products side we are competitors, because we produce both books and related products, including computer software. We've had a long-standing, generally good relationship with Bookcraft in those two roles."
Maybe that's because the companies share a common goal of aiding the worldwide expansion and mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Both Pelo and Cory Maxwell, Bookcraft editorial manager, said LDS Church officials always have written for and supported Bookcraft.
"We've always seen ourselves as wanting to complement the mission of the church," Maxwell said. "It's not something we are bashful about or find difficult."
Pelo said that, while he does profit from sales of Bookcraft's products, he feels they fulfill a vital role for the church. And without profits, he said, the company would not be able to put together a capital-intensive project like its new, 15-volume book set on "Teachings of the Latter-day Prophets."
"I look at it now as more of a stewardship," he said. "This is an example of the scriptural admonition to do many good things of our own free will."
Millett said both companies are part of a unique business, but that running an operation that depends on consumers of a particular religion does not pose any real problems.
"Our approach to this is to operate our company as a legitimate competitive business, and it just so happens that our product line is in a very major way geared very specifically to the LDS market," he said.
As the church grows around the world, Millett said, the market is growing with it.
"I think the market potential itself will continue to grow and increase, and I think there's room for both (Bookcraft and Deseret Book)," he said. "Both companies should have an opportunity to grow, along with others in our industry."