Rochester firm acquires Communique Design & Marketing in Ithaca

ITHACA, N.Y. — A Rochester company has acquired Communiqué Design & Marketing Inc. of Ithaca

Brandmint — an agency specializing in creative and marketing technology — has purchased the Ithaca business, which focuses on public relations, brand development, influencer marketing, and storytelling.

In adding the Communique specialty areas, Brandmint will now be a full-service advertising, marketing, and public-relations agency, according to a Communique news release.

Neither firm disclosed any financial terms of the acquisition agreement.

Besides its Rochester and Ithaca locations, Brandmint also has an office in Richmond, Virginia. Established in 1991, Communiqué offers marketing and communications services to its clients spanning the Finger Lakes region and beyond.

With the sale, Communiqué said its clients can expect the same level of service but expanded digital-marketing service offerings and research.

“I am thrilled to grow Brandmint by combining forces with Communiqué. Both teams bring strong skill sets and diverse experiences that will be very complimentary,” Louie Maier, president and founder of Brandmint, said in the release. “I love the Finger Lakes region and am excited to become a part of the Ithaca community.”

Brandmint, which launched in 2011, will retain the Communiqué staff and its current office location in the South Hill Business Campus which Madalene Ulrich, VP of Communiqué, will manage. The newly combined firm will have a workforce of 16 employees.

Following the transition, Laurie Linn, president and CEO of Communiqué, will join Brandmint’s advisory board to “aid in the preservation of the values on which Communiqué and Brandmint were built.”

“After 31 years in business, it was so important to me that our team have an environment in which they could continue to grow and thrive. I am confident Louie will lead our team, clients, and community successfully into the future,” Linn said. “Louie is a kind and passionate entrepreneur in all aspects of his life — as am I; we were able to align the opportunities rather quickly.”