Transactions  >  by Year  >  2008

BZ Media (www.bzmedia.com), a high-tech, integrated B2B media company, has sold its Software Test & Performance (ST&P) business unit to Redwood Collaborative Media, an integrated B2B media company dedicated to creating platforms for professional communities.

ST&P serves the global software testing and performance community, reaching more than 55,000 IT professionals with information, education, training, and professional networking opportunities. The acquisition includes two leading industry events Software Test & Performance Conference and FutureTest Conference; Software Test & Performance magazine; and a complementary e-newsletter and online publication, Test & QA Report.

The Jordan, Edmiston Group represented BZ Media in this transaction and acted as its exclusive financial advisor. For more information, click here.

Staffing Industry Analysts, Inc. (www.staffingindustry.com), the premier research, data and analysis firm covering the temporary workforce, has been sold to Crain Communications, Inc. (www.crain.com), the 90+ year-old business-to-business media company.

acerno (www.acerno.com), a leading online behavioral targeting network, has been sold to Akamai (NASDAQ: AKAM) (www.akamai.com), a market-leading provider of managed services for powering rich media, dynamic transactions, and enterprise applications online, for approximately $95 million in cash.

Forrester Research, Inc. (Nasdaq: FORR) (www.forrester.com) has acquired JupiterResearch, LLC (www.jupiterresearch.com) and its parent company, JUPR Holdings, Inc., from MCG Capital Corporation (www.mcgcapital.com), for $23 million in cash plus assumed liabilities, subject to post-closing adjustments.

JupiterResearch has 82 employees and 2007 revenues of approximately $14 million. Forrester, with 2007 revenues of $212 million, now has more than 1,000 employees. This strategic purchase complements Forrester’s syndicated business model, as JupiterResearch joins Forrester’s Marketing & Strategy Client Group, which contributed $46.4 million to Forrester’s total revenue in 2007.

The Jordan, Edmiston Group represented Forrester Research in this transaction and acted as its exclusive financial advisor. For more information, click here.

dmg world media (www.dmgworldmedia.com), a division of Daily Mail & General Trust plc (DMGT), has sold its portfolio of 38 North American consumer home shows to Marketplace Events LLC.

Marketplace Events is a portfolio company of Stephens Capital Partners LLC, an affiliate of Stephens Inc. (www.stephens.com), a privately held investment bank in Little Rock, Arkansas. This portfolio is comprised of consumer home shows in 27 cities across the US and Canada. The deal is valued at $53 million.

The Jordan, Edmiston Group represented dmg world media in this transaction and acted as its exclusive financial advisor. For more information, click here.

University Health Publishing Group (UHPG), a leading provider of consumer health information and education in collaboration with two of the most esteemed universities in the country – Johns Hopkins University and the University of California, Berkeley, has been sold to MediZine, a leading consumer health education company and a portfolio company of Veronis Suhler Stevenson private equity firm.

Compliance Week (www.complianceweek.com), owned by Boston-based Financial Media Holdings Group, Inc., has been sold to Haymarket Media, Inc. (www.haymarket.com).

Compliance Week is the leading provider of corporate governance, risk and compliance information for financial and legal executives at public companies. Founded in 2002 by Scott Cohen and Frank Hertz, Compliance Week produces a paid weekly electronic newsletter, a paid monthly BPA-audited print magazine, a major annual conference and other live events, and a paid access web site that includes news, analysis, research, searchable governance databases and other valuable online resources.

M:Metrics (www.mmetrics.com), the recognized leader in mobile measurement, has been sold to comScore (Nasdaq: SCOR) (www.comscore.com) a leader in measuring the digital world. The acquisition makes comScore the immediate leader in measuring the emerging and strategically important mobile Internet market and adds to comScore’s leading position in measuring PC-based Internet usage.

CQ Press (www.cqpress.com), the college publishing and online reference information service provider has been sold to SAGE (www.sagepublications.com), the leading academic publisher for academic, educational and professional markets.

CQ Press and SAGE’s focus on scholarship and innovation that impacts education and public policy will further enhance SAGE’s presence in the marketplace.

The Jordan Edmiston Group represented CQ Press in this transaction and acted as its exclusive financial advisor. For more information, click here.

Undertone Networks (www.undertone-inc.com), a premium online advertising network, has received a strategic investment from JMI Equity (www.jmiequity.com), a private equity firm exclusively focused on investments in growing software and business services companies. JMI will work closely with Undertone’s management team to help the company continue to grow, deliver innovative services to its clients and create opportunities for its employees.

Working with leading traditional and digital advertising agencies and their clients, Undertone executes and strategically manages online advertising campaigns that allow clients to maximize their return on investment. The funding from JMI will enable Undertone to accelerate new product development and research, and further expand its presence in both U.S. and international markets.

The Jordan, Edmiston Group represented Intercept Interactive, the parent company of Undertone, in this transaction and acted as its exclusive financial advisor. For more information, click here.

Hallmark Data Systems (www.halldata.com), a leading information services and technology provider of fulfillment and customer relationship management solutions, and a portfolio company of Tinicum Capital Partners (www.tinicum.com), has been sold to EBSCO Industries (www.ebscoind.com).

EBSCO is a diversified business that provides subscriptions for more than 300,000 title listings from more than 78,000 publishers worldwide.

The Jordan, Edmiston Group represented Hallmark Data Systems in this transaction and acted as its exclusive financial advisor.

Gartner (NYSE: IT), the world’s leading information technology research and advisory company, has sold its Vision Events portfolio to CMP, a media and marketing solutions company serving the technology industry and a subsidiary of United Business Media plc (LSE: UBM).

Vision Events is a provider of specialized domestic and international face-to-face IT events. Through a recruiting marketing model, Vision Events builds partnerships and alliances through events, private appointments and one-on-one meetings, which maximize a return on investment for participants. Vision Events will become a part of the CMP Channel Events group.

The Jordan, Edmiston Group represented Gartner in this transaction and acted as its exclusive financial advisor. For more information, click here.

Think Service, a membership, certification and training, and events organization focused on IT service and support practitioners has been sold to United Business Media plc on behalf of CMP Technology.  United Business Media is a leading global business media company that informs markets and brings the world's buyers and sellers together at events, through online, in print, and with the information they need to do business successfully.

Headquartered in Colorado Springs, CO, Think Service is the U.S. market leader in provision of training and information to service desk employees, also known as help desk employees.  Think Service also organizes an annual Conference & Expo that attracts over 2,000 attendees and is recognized as the industry's leading event for IT support professional.

The Jordan, Edmiston Group represented Think Service in this transaction and acted as its exclusive financial advisor. For more information, click here

FierceMarkets, a leading online B2B media company, has been sold to Questex Media Group, Inc., a global, diversified business-to-business integrated media and information provider.

Based in Washington, DC, FierceMarkets helps business marketers reach targeted decision-makers through its portfolio of e-mail newsletters, web sites, webinars and live events focusing on the Telecommunications, Life Sciences, Healthcare, IT, and Finance industries.  With 45% compound annual revenue growth over five years, more than 300 repeat advertisers, and triple-digit annual audience growth, FierceMarkets has established itself as a leader in the new generation of fast-growth media companies taking traditional trade publishing into the digital age.

The Jordan, Edmiston Group represented FierceMarkets in this transaction and acted as its exclusive financial advisor. For more information, click here.

Money-Media, the US-based leader in online news and commentary for the money management industry, has been sold to Pearson, an international media company with market-leading businesses in education, business information and consumer publishing. Money-Media, through its products Ignites, Fundfire, BoardIQ, Agenda and ODX, offers highly-respected online services, publications and conferences.

Money-Media’s specialist services will improve the ability of the Financial Times to reach the asset management community in the US, enhancing its recent launch of a US edition of FTfm (its dedicated fund management newspaper supplement); and globally, building on the FT’s unique global franchise

The Jordan, Edmiston Group represented Money-Media in this transaction and acted as its exclusive financial advisor. For more information, click here.

The Becker Group, Ltd., a portfolio company of Sterling Capital Partners and a leading experiential marketing company, has been sold to Viad Corp. (NYSE: VVI), a leading provider of services for exhibition organizers and exhibitors.  The Becker Group of Baltimore specializes in creating immersive, entertaining attractions and brand-based experiences for clients and venues, including retail centers, movie studios, museums, leading consumer brands and casinos.  With more than 50 years of experience, Becker Group is the leading provider of large-scale events and experiences for retail real estate developers in North America.

This acquisition extends Viad’s experiential marketing services beyond the tradeshow environment and provides excellent opportunities to leverage the capabilities and client relationships of Becker Group, GES and Exhibitgroup/Giltspur to accelerate growth in all three of these businesses. 

The Jordan, Edmiston Group represented Becker Group in this transaction and acted as its exclusive financial advisor. For more information, click here.