Padilla has acquired Richmond, VA-based digital studio and strategy firm INM United.
The acquisition became effective June 1.
INM United designs and builds software applications for clients in the retail, education, health and travel industries. Clients include Luckstone, Ledbury, Virginia Wine and Virginia Commonwealth University. The company, which staffs six, was founded in 1998 by president Joel Erb when he was just 15 years old.
INM will now be integrated into Padilla’s existing creative and digital team, henceforth operating under the top independent firm’s banner. Erb will hold the title of senior director, and will report to Padilla chief creative officer Heath Rudduck, who’s stationed in the agency’s Minneapolis headquarters.
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The INM United team.INM’s staff will relocate to Padilla’s Richmond office by the end of this month. That outpost was formed when Minneapolis-based Padilla acquired Richmond-based shop CRT/tanaka in 2013.
It’s the third acquisition in as many years for the Midwest PR powerhouse, which rebranded earlier this year from its former moniker, PadillaCRT. After acquiring CRT/tanaka, Padilla in 2015 picked up Richmond-based brand strategy boutique Joe Smith, and last year acquired food and nutrition communications and consulting shop FoodMinds.
Padilla CEO Lynn Casey told O’Dwyer’s that INM’s expertise in health serves as a strategic growth area for the agency. Casey also said Padilla had partnered with INM on accounts for the past several years.
“Having strong digital capabilities that help our clients achieve their goals is fundamental, and we were looking to grow our digital strategy capabilities because keeping up with client demand is always key,” Casey said.
Padilla is one of the top 10 PR firms in the country with $42.4 million in '16 net fees.
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