Lambert & Co. closes deal for Houston marketing, branding firm

Lambert & Co. closes deal for Houston marketing, branding firm
Jeff Lambert

GRAND RAPIDS — Public relations and investor relations firm Lambert & Co. formed a joint venture with 9th Wonder, a Houston, Texas-based marketing and brand strategy firm.

The joint venture and capital investment in 9th Wonder can accelerate the growth of both companies, according to an announcement on the deal.

Lambert & Co. co-founder and CEO Jeff Lambert called 9th Wonder a “perfect complement to our offerings in PR, investor relations, crisis communications and diversity consulting.

“Their office network is a hand-glove fit with our regional hubs in Michigan, Arizona and New York, and we both have an active M&A strategy that we believe will be compelling to owner entrepreneurs looking for an alternative to the agency networks,” Lambert said.

Lambert will join 9thWonder’s board. The joint venture includes an investor group led by Monika Mantilla, a fund manager who invests in minority, women-led and diverse-owned companies, and entrepreneurs located in low or moderate-income communities. 

Terms of the deal were undisclosed.

The deal is Grand Rapids-based Lambert & Co.’s third in 2020. 

In March, the firm acquired Holland-based ad agency Fairly Painless Advertising Inc. to add complementary capabilities in creative services and advertising. 

As well, Lambert & Co. closed in January on an acquisition for New York-based Casteel Schoenborn Investor Relations & Corporate Communications in a deal that boosted its investor relations and financial services expertise.