iPacesetters and ARGI Join Forces

MONTVALE, N.J., Nov. 22, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- ARGI of Montvale, New Jersey and iPacesetters of Mesa, Arizona announced today that they would be combining to form a unique new company.  The newly merged organization will operate under the name iPacesetters.  iPacesetters combines the audience development, lead generation and marketing technology of ARGI with the performance-based call center services of iPacesetters. Together, iPacesetters enables companies to grow their revenues by optimizing audience engagement. By creating centralized, unified, transactional databases combined with performance-based call centers, the new iPacesetters enables companies to interact with their customers across a variety of touch points, in real time.  

iPacesetters serves clients in the publishing and cable industries.  Ray Butkus, currently ARGI CEO will assume responsibilities as CEO of iPacesetters. Frank Royal, currently president of iPacesetters will continue in that capacity for the combined entity. Gerry DeBiasi, partner of Kidd & Company and Executive Chairman of iPacesetters will also continue in his role.

Butkus stated: "I'm very pleased with this transaction and the new capabilities it brings to the industry. By using technology, comprehensive data and contact centers with sector expertise - every contact, across multiple channels - becomes an opportunity to grow revenues. Our blend of customer management technology and highly trained contact center professionals deliver successful on-going interactions."

DeBiasi added, "The combination with ARGI will be a game-changer for our clients.  Bringing together ARGI's Acuity product, which offers a single view-of-the-customer transactional database, and the capability to act on that information in real time via web/email/phone/etc., will allow our clients to monetize each and every customer contact."

As companies seek to find new ways to monetize audiences, iPacesetters leverages enriched information to drive the creation of new product, cross selling and up selling opportunities. To insure maximum revenue efficiency, iPacesetters utilizes performance-based methods to execute campaigns.

iPacesetters has over one thousand employees, is headquartered in Montvale, NJ with locations in Mesa AZ, Naples Florida, Eau Claire, Madison, Monroe and Whitewater WI, Gurgaon India and Baguio City, Philippines.  iPacesetters has an experienced management team including Geoff Scott, CTO and Jim Slack, CFO as well as publishing and marketing industry veterans Jeff Reinhardt and Eric Rutter, who are joining iPacesetters concurrently with this transaction.

iPacesetters, LLC is primarily owned by private equity firms Kidd & Company and Shore Points Capital.  Kidd & Company is a principal investment company that traces its principal investing roots back to 1976.  Its investment model is based on an intensive research process in order to design businesses that transform their industry segments, combined with hands on involvement required to successfully execute those strategies. Its ability to build highly successful businesses has enabled our firm to generate world class investment returns.

SOURCE ARGI