Grace Hill Acquires The Shadow Agency to Leverage Mystery Shopping Expertise

Move positions Grace Hill to expand and evolve solutions for the multifamily industry

IRVING, Texas, July 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Grace Hill, the innovator of talent and performance management solutions for commercial and multifamily real estate, today announced the acquisition of The Shadow Agency, a full-service mystery shopping company providing services to numerous industries, including multifamily real estate, home building and retail operations. The companies will combine technology, solutions and personnel to offer an elevated mystery shopping experience for its customers.

Mystery shopping captures valuable data about the customer shopping experience across several industries. For multifamily, operators utilize this service to capture essential insights and data about the renter experience, enabling them to gain an accurate understanding of their staff and operational performance. Grace Hill is committed to providing best-in-class solutions to improve property performance and development, and this partnership will enable a superior mystery shopping experience, recorded telephone shopping and traditional onsite evaluations.

"The Shadow Agency CEO Russell Wood and his team have developed a world-class mystery shopping business with a deep understanding of the housing industry, including multifamily," said Grace Hill's CEO, Kendall Pretzer. "This acquisition will leverage the expertise of both companies and we are confident that together, we are better positioned to serve the mystery shopping industry as a whole and continue to exceed real estate's current mystery shopping capabilities. The customer-first approach to service at The Shadow Agency, as well as the company's core values and mission, align perfectly with Grace Hill's."

Established in 1994, The Shadow Agency offers a first-rate customer experience with over a 95% completion rate. The agency pioneered the video mystery shopping industry and then expanded to provide customers with a diverse mix of mystery shops, including video, in-person, phone, virtual and the internet. The Shadow Agency employees will join the Grace Hill brand.

"The decision to join the Grace Hill family was an easy one. Grace Hill and The Shadow Agency both understand the immense value of tangible feedback in multifamily and CRE, as well as building strong relationships with customers. We have come to know and trust the company and its leadership team," Wood said. "This partnership will enable us to build upon the goal of improving operations while delivering critical insights for owners and operators."

Grace Hill has created a new mystery shopping department headed by Jennifer Blankenship, who currently serves as the company's vice president of support services. This latest acquisition by Grace Hill, a subsidiary of Aurora Capital Partners, continues to broaden the company's mystery shopping solutions. In 2022, Grace Hill acquired mystery shopping provider Ellis.

About Aurora Capital Partners
Aurora Capital Partners is a leading private equity firm focused principally on control investments in middle-market companies with leading market positions, stable industry dynamics, attractive business model characteristics and actionable opportunities for growth in partnership with management. Aurora provides unique resources to its portfolio companies through its Strategy & Operations Program and its team of experienced operating advisors. Aurora's investors include leading public and corporate pension funds, endowments and foundations active in private equity investing. For more information about Aurora Capital Partners, visit: www.auroracap.com.

About Grace Hill
Grace Hill provides technology-enabled performance solutions that help owners and operators of real estate properties increase property performance, reduce operating risk and grow top talent. Its industry-leading solutions covering policy, training, assessment, survey and data-driven insights are bolstered by years of real estate experience, in-depth service-level expertise and outstanding customer support. Today, more than 500,000 real estate professionals from more than 2,300 companies rely on talent performance solutions from Grace Hill. Visit us at gracehill.com or on LinkedIn.

About The Shadow Agency
The Shadow Agency is a nationwide full-service Mystery Shopping company serving various industries, including property management companies, new home builders and retail operations. Since pioneering Video Mystery Shopping in 1994, The Shadow Agency has led the industry with innovative solutions, including web-based reporting and secure server content distribution. Clients leverage mystery shopping services to capture crucial data on customer experiences in order to enhance performance. The agency offers video mystery shopping, recorded telephone shopping, and traditional onsite evaluations. To learn more, visit theshadowagency.com.

SOURCE Grace Hill