Acquisition and Growth for ORC and infoUSA

Opinion Research Corporation (ORC) has acquired Northwest Research Group, based in Boise, Idaho, effective October 1. Details of the transaction were not disclosed. ORC parent infoUSA has meanwhile reported strong results for the third quarter.

Northwest, which has an additional office in Seattle, WA, works mostly on customer research, across business-to-business, business-to-consumer and public sectors. It is known in particular for expertise in the transportation, healthcare, and IT industries. CEO Rebecca Elmore-Yalch will now report to Jeff Resnick, President of Opinion Research U.S., and will join the Group's Senior US Leadership team.

Gerard Miodus, President of Opinion Research, says the buy 'enables us to add the well-regarded transportation sector expertise of Ms. Elmore-Yalch to our overall offering, and adds a further boost to our already strong presence in the areas of customer strategies and public services. It also boosts our presence in the Northwest Region of the country, where we have a significant client base, especially in the technology sector.'

infoUSA has recently acquired Guideline, Inc. (formerly FIND SVP); Australian firm NWC Research; and Opinion Research itself in late 2006.

This week, the group reported record results for the third quarter, ending on September 30, with revenues of $185.0m, including $56.3m for the Marketing Research Group. Excluding the latter, revenues were up 21% on the year to $128.7m, but they included $9.9m received from the final settlement in a lawsuit, originally commenced in December 2001, against Naviant, Inc. (now known as BERJ, LLP), for breach of a database license agreement. infoUSA's third quarter operating income was up from $20.0m in Q3 2006 to $31.4m, including $9.2m from the Naviant settlement, net of related expenses.

Q3 earnings per share were up from $0.20 to $0.31, while EBITDA was $43.0m including the $9.2m. Net sales for the year to date are up to $502.9m from $309.8m a year previously, with the addition of ORC a major factor.

Vin Gupta, Chairman and CEO of ORC parent infoUSA, says of Northwest: 'The company has an established management team that provides the strategic leadership necessary to help us expand our market research business'. Gupta says the group has 'a strong foundation of market research capabilities now in place' and plans 'to continue consolidating this fragmented industry' - with growth 'through strategic acquisitions in both the marketing research sector and elsewhere'.

The fast-growing group has some novel new offers in the pipeline for its other divisions too, including complete photographs of all businesses in the United States and Canada. Another three million photographs will be added to an existing stock of 2.5 million, already 'very well received in the market andused by almost all of the major search engines.'

Founded in 1972, the firm is on the web at www.infoUSA.com.

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.

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