Global market research firm, ORC International, today announced that it has acquired Marketing Research Services Inc. (MRSI), a privately-held Cincinnati-based research firm specializing in consumer research. Under the ORC International brand, Todd Earhart, MRSI President, will lead ORC International’s consumer practice. MRSI brings an impressive roster of Fortune 500 clients to ORC International’s portfolio of blue chip clients.
JEGI CLARITY (www.jegiclarity.com) of New York, NY, the leading independent investment bank for the media, information, marketing, and technology sectors, represented MRSI in this transaction and acted as its exclusive financial advisor.
The acquisition of MRSI builds on ORC International’s strong heritage and experience in delivering leading-edge research solutions to support the innovation, growth, customer strategy, and employee engagement challenges of its clients. MRSI has built its success on strong consumer-driven research solutions and client partnership and is a recognized leader in the consumer research space. By combining ORC International’s global reach and breadth of research capabilities with MRSI’s industry expertise, the firm is now able to offer clients a powerhouse of high-impact consumer research solutions that includes product innovation and development, pricing strategy and portfolio optimization. MRSI also brings a focus on the Hispanic consumer market to ORC International. Together, through ORC International’s Integrated Intelligence research platform, the combined organization will deliver unique value to the consumer research arena.
Commenting on the acquisition, Marc Litvinoff, ORC International’s President and CEO, noted, “Strategically, MRSI is a great fit for ORC International. This is a major step toward our goal of expanding our consumer research solutions and offering enhanced services to our clients. I look forward to the positive impact the acquisition will bring. MRSI is an exceptional company and, with the combined capabilities of both organizations, will allow us to provide an outstanding mix of offerings and expertise.”
“We’re looking forward to combining MRSI and the consumer research practice of ORC International,” noted Todd Earhart. “MRSI’s long-standing expertise and clients in the consumer space, coupled with ORC International’s breadth of capabilities both domestically and internationally, now gives us the resources and scale to grow the practice globally and provide expanded services to our clients.”
MRSI was founded in 1973 and was part of the MVL Group, a top 50 US market research firm and portfolio company of Ares Capital Management, prior to the ORC International acquisition. Since its founding, MRSI has emphasized technology, research innovation, and client service. The company continues to be a leader in online research, social media and mobile research solutions. A testament to the company’s commitment to exceptional service is its long-term client partnerships, some dating back to MRSI’s founding.
The transaction was finalized on December 21, 2012. Terms of the transaction are not being disclosed.
We knew we needed a banker who had an in-depth understanding of our market dynamics and was capable of strategically positioning our business to prospective buyers. JEGI CLARITY fully delivered on those needs, while also identifying hot button issues throughout the process and leading negotiations on all key aspects of our business, including financial, client level, diligence and stakeholder issues. JEGI CLARITY showed incredible persistence in guiding us around and through the roadblocks to a successful transaction closing.
Todd Earhart, President, MRSI