Diana Marszalek 01 Nov 2023 // 6:34PM GMT
NEW YORK — Finn Partners has expanded its education expertise with the acquisition of C. Blohm & Associates, a Madison, Wisconsin-based agency specializing in B2B education and education technology.
The 12-person PR and content marketing agency will be known as CB&A, A Finn Partners Company, and work alongside Finn’s existing PreK-12 and higher education practices.
Executive VP Emily Embury (pictured), who is responsible for client acquisition and retention, staff management and development, and business administration, will join Finn as a senior partner, integrating CB&A into the Midwest region and collaborating with the agency’s global education and B2B tech and services groups. CB&A founder Charlene Blohm will continue with Finn Partners, boosting the agency’s business development and industry thought leadership initiatives to support the firm and its clients.
Embury and Blohm will report to founding managing partner and Midwest lead Dan Pooley and become part of the Finn Partners Midwest management team. There are no staff redundancies.
CB&A’s national and international client base includes education brands such as Funds For Learning, BloomBoard and National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI). The agency was founded in 1991.
“This is a very exciting time for education, and we chose to join Finn to expand our ability to serve clients as we deliver PR and content marketing campaigns that meet their evolving and expanding needs,” Blohm said. “Education is at an interesting crossroads. There is a tremendous opportunity to partner with education companies for media relations, communications, thought leadership and strategic content. The pandemic accelerated the need for learning of all kinds, and we believe education shines when students at all levels and ages – from early childhood to high school, and universities to corporations – get the greatest materials and resources they need to be better and brighter. From our first conversation with Peter Finn, it was clear that our core values, culture and expertise were aligned.”
The acquisition is latest move in a years-long series of acquisitions by Finn to expand its worldwide offerings and reach.
In February, Finn expanded its global health and policy operations with the acquisition of Hyderus, an Irish health-focused firm whose work spans Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America. Just weeks before, the agency purchased creative and digital design agency Outré Creative, a 15-person firm specializing in financial services with offices in New York and London.
In October 2022, Finn announced two acquisitions — social impact firm Winston Agency and Rachel Kay Public Relations, which expanding the agency’s work with food and beverage brands.
The previous July, Finn purchased Asia healthcare firm SPAG, bolstering its APAC presence with one of the biggest acquisitions in the agency’s history, and in February 2022 the agency acquired brand strategy and creative agency AHA in a move that enable the firm to launch a global internal communications & employee engagement practice.
In December 2021, Finn acquired the platform Medika Life, adding a second healthcare news and information outlet to the content unit that launched with the agency’s purchase of The Pharmacy Podcast Network in November of that year.
Finn also acquired Dublin communications agency 360 in December 2021, creating the firm’s first Irish outpost.
In November 2021, Finn announced the purchase of luxury travel PR firm Hawkins International and another travel firm, Hawaii-based Anthology Marketing Group.
In 2019, Finn acquired Hong Kong travel specialist CatchOn, and travel and lifestyle consultancy Brighter Group in 2018.
Other 2021 moves include the firm buying Health IT specialist Agency Ten22 and tech agency Barokas Communications.
Finn also purchased digital marketing agency MintTwist. The move marked Finn’s fifth acquisition in London in the past four years, coming on the heels of financial services firm Moorgate Communications and consumer and lifestyle agency ZPR in 2019; Brighter Group in 2018; and B2B specialist ABI in 2017.
In May 2021, Finn bought back Stagwell Group’s minority stake in the firm, putting an end to the companies’ four-plus year financial partnership that enabled Finn Partners to grow in 2021 into a $162 million operation.