In September we reported that Chicago-based Trisect, which is currently AOR for the hometown Bears, had parted with 20-30 staffers constituting approximately 25% of its total workforce due to “rapidly shifting client needs and their demand for leaner, more nimble partners.”
At the time we also asked agency leadership to address rumors that it had been or would be acquired by Match Marketing, an activation agency based in Norwalk, Connecticut with offices across the U.S. and Canada.
Agency founder and CEO Richard Thomas declined to comment on “hearsay” this fall, but the rumors were true.
Yesterday Match officially announced its acquisition of Trisect for an undisclosed sum. Canadian private equity firm Beringer Capital has owned Match since 2011. Coincidentally, Beringer also purchased the Adweek organization from Mediabistro Holdings earlier this year.
The two agencies have now effectively merged, with Trisect enhancing Match’s portfolio. In a statement, Thomas (who is now managing partner at Trisect – Match) said, called the news “an exciting opportunity for our team that will allow us access to their broader end-to-end capabilities.”
“Through this acquisition, I am confident that Trisect will strengthen the foundation we have built as an agency with a unique start-to-finish service offering for our clients,” added Match CEO Brett Farren.
Multiple parties claim that both the downsizing and the subsequent acquisition stem from changes to the ConAgra business, which allegedly picked Match as a new activation marketing partner after a review. Trisect and ConAgra did not respond to specific questions about the account.
Match currently employs nearly 900 in the U.S. and Canada.