IPacesetters, a call center operator, has acquired ARGI. ARGI offers audience development, lead generation and marketing technology. While terms of the transaction were not disclosed, primary former owner Shore Points Partners will continue as a minority partner. IPacesetters is owned by Kidd & Company, a private equity firm.
Ray Butkus, who had served as CEO of ARGI, will assume that position within iPacesetters. Frank Royal will remain as president of iPacesetters, and Gery DeBiasi, a partner in Kidd & Company, will continue as executive chairman of iPacesetters. Geoff Scott serves as chief technology officer, and Jim Slack is its CFO.
The combined companies will offer pay-for-performance call center activities. According to Jeff Reinhardt, who will be joining the company, call center agents will be trained within specific segments, and will be better able to cross and up-sell a marketer’s offerings. ARGI’s technology will provide unified, enterprise-wide database views of its clients’ customer bases to iPacesetters’ call center workers.
Initially iPacesetters will focus on the publishing, information services and cable television markets. Reinhardt and Eric Rutter, both of whom have experience in publishing and marketing, will join the company. Reinhardt formerly served as senior VP of Prism Business Media, an earlier incarnation of Penton, which owns Direct Newsline.
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