Gospel Technologies today announced the acquisition of Olive Tree Bible Software, Inc. from HarperCollins Christian Publishing for an undisclosed amount. President and owner of Gospel Technologies, Steven Cummings, is the previous vice president of operations for Olive Tree under HarperCollins Christian Publishing (“HCCP”).
Based in Spokane, Washington, Olive Tree is an industry leading online and mobile Christian Bible technology and e-commerce company that was acquired by HarperCollins Christian Publishing in 2014. Its software is accessible on desktop, tablets, and mobile devices across all major platforms. As part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Olive Tree expanded its catalog offerings to surpass 25,000 titles and developed best-in-class integration for audio Bibles and books. Cummings, who started at Olive Tree as an e-book formatter more than eleven years ago, approached leadership at HarperCollins Christian Publishing and expressed his interest in owning Olive Tree’s brand, technology, and future growth strategy.
“Acquiring Olive Tree and returning it to its tech-innovation roots has been a goal of mine for the past few years,” said Steven Cummings. “When I approached the leadership at HCCP with my proposal, they were extremely helpful and supportive. I am grateful to HCCP for supporting Olive Tree for the past six years, nurturing it into a healthy and sustainable business, and I look forward to building upon the successes we achieved. I have been a part of Olive Tree since its early days, when we were working out of the founder’s basement, and I am deeply passionate about its mission to use technology to help people read and study God’s Word. I think that God has gifted and prepared me to lead this company to delight its users and help bring them closer to God’s Word through the use of its apps.”
Cummings continued, “I expect the transition to be smooth for all involved with little to no disruption to Olive Tree’s business. We will continue to serve all of our licensors as we always have and deliver excellent customer service. I look forward to working with all of our partners on new and innovative ways to promote their published works.”
Mark Schoenwald, president and CEO of HarperCollins Christian Publishing said, “Steven has been Olive Tree’s absolute advocate throughout his tenure, and I am happy that he will be fulfilling one of his lifelong goals of owning and operating his own business. Steven knows the company and its full potential better than anyone and I look forward to our continued partnership as HCCP content and study resources will continue to be offered throughout Olive Tree’s platforms, just as they always were.”
Cummings has a background in IT, content formatting and operations with a Masters of Theology in New Testament Studies from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. He founded Gospel Technologies, LLC in 2019 out of a desire to form a business that utilizes technology to glorify God by aiding people in the reading and study of Scripture – intended to be realized through the acquisition of Olive Tree. Olive Tree’s office will remain in Spokane, Washington.
Gospel Technologies strives to inspire people to connect with God and study the Bible through technology. Since 2019, Gospel Technologies has worked to produce industry-leading technology and service to a worldwide audience from its Spokane, Washington headquarters. For more information, contact PressRoom@OliveTree.com.
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