Portland digital agency Anvil Media is merging with a Michigan firm in a move designed to greatly expand the company’s reach and capabilities.
Anvil, with its 10-plus workers, is merging with Deksia. The combined company will employ more than 40 at its four offices. Deksia’s Aaron VanderGalien will lead the entity, serving as CEO. The remaining leadership of each firm will remain intact, the companies said in a written statement.
The deal is characterized as a merger of equals: The terms weren't disclosed.
Anvil, which ranked as the 38th largest creative agency in Portland, specializes in search engine optimization, social media marketing and paid marketing.
Kent Lewis, Anvil's president and founder, earned notice in 2013 for a "credo" in which he revealed he'd reshaped his company, "ditching a business model that relies on search engine marketing services for 90 percent of its more-than $2 million in revenue," the PBJ wrote at the time.
The now-22-year-old Anvil, he continued would become more of a "business consultancy" with a broader reach.
Deksia offers strategy, design, digital marketing and web development for clients across industries.
“During the past two decades, digital marketing as an industry has evolved significantly, and we’ve come to the realization that critical mass is essential to achieving our goals and that of our clients,” Lewis said in a statement.
“With a larger organization fueled by Deksia’s considerable strategic marketing prowess, we can provide a broader array of high-value services while also building a deeper bench in our core competencies.”
Deal activity has been high since the lows of 2020 and the onset of the Covid 19 pandemic. Anvil and Deksia have known each other for a while, with Lewis and VanderGalien meeting through their involvement with the group Entrepreneurs Organization.
“Anvil’s legacy brings advanced understanding of search analytics, organic social strategies and a full-service approach to integrated marketing to pair with Deksia’s process-driven creative work to give our collective clients a fighting chance,” VanderGalien said in a written statement.
