Dragons’ Den star Arlene Dickinson enters merger deal to create marketing and communications ‘super company’

veteran financier and The dragon’s lair Star Arlene Dickinson is merging her marketing and communications business with five other agencies to launch a bigger business with international reach, backed in part by the Canadian Business Growth Fund.

The new company, called Believeco:Partners, will have nearly 300 employees across seven offices across North America, serving customers in a variety of industries, including technology, food, healthcare, agriculture, government and financial services. . It is to combine Ms. Dickinson’s agency, Venture Play, with leading Canadian marketing firms Argyle, Brightworks, Zync, Revolve and Castlemain.

Three brands will emerge from the merger arrangement, which aims to preserve the independence of the six companies while growing their businesses under the same banner. Significant staff reductions are not expected, the companies said. Believeco:Partners will be headquartered in Calgary.

Ms Dickinson said in an interview that she first conceived the idea of ​​a “super company” such as Believeco around two years ago. She described it as a way to fill a void in the communications and marketing space in Canada, which she said lacked a distinct voice to serve all sectors of the economy and diverse customers with different activity area.

“The way we do it is quite unique. We are still keeping the founders of these companies behind the wheel, with skin in the game, committed to the long-term future of their teams and the business success of their customers,” Ms Dickinson told The Globe and Mail. “It’s six companies coming together right now, but we certainly have plans to acquire more independent companies in the future.”

Starting in 2020: Arlene Dickinson raises $100 million to support food and health startups

Toronto-based Argyle and Vancouver-based Castlemain will remain standalone brands, building on their strengths in different sectors. Castlemain, which has a long history of serving communities and Indigenous peoples, will continue to be a consulting firm under the leadership of Rob McPhee as Chairman. Daniel Tisch will remain chief executive of Argyle, an established name in the technology, financial services and government sectors.

But Calgary-based Venture Play, Halifax-based Revolve, and Toronto-based companies Zync and Brightworks will all merge to create a single new brand: Believeco. He will particularly focus on the health, wellness and food and beverage sectors.

Brightworks founder Neil Follett has been named CEO of Believeco. Mr. Follett and Mr. Tisch have also been named managing partners of Believeco:Partners, while Ms. Dickinson will serve as executive chairman of the new parent company of the three brands.

George Rossolatos, CEO of Canadian Business Growth Fund, a Toronto-based private equity firm, said his team is a minority investor and will serve on the board of Believeco:Partners. “We will leave operations to the management team, but we are involved in high-level strategy, thinking about where to grow and how to effectively secure further acquisitions,” he said. .

Mr. Rossolatos acknowledged that current pressures such as rising inflation, high interest rates, a slower economy and a stronger dollar could affect Believeco’s customer base, perhaps making its services more difficult to sell to a wider range of businesses. “We are in choppy waters, there is a lot of volatility and this period of adjustment is affecting everyone,” he said.

“But we are not here for the short term. It’s a longer term game for us and everyone else on board.

“In a weird way, this downturn is actually good for us. Businesses tend to need more communication and marketing services during a recession – whether it’s crisis work, layoff communication or whatever, we speak their language for them,” said Mrs Dickinson.

“There will always be ups and downs, now we are together to face them. And just with the large client list we already have, we have quickly become a massive force to be reckoned with.