Health system marketing services company BPD has completed the acquisition of Interpublic Group healthcare agency Revive, effective December 1. 

The combination forms a marketing and communications tech-enabled services organization serving the nation’s leading hospital, health system and care delivery brands, as well as clients from the health tech, health services and the overall healthcare space, the agency said in a statement. 

“Revive is extraordinarily strong at comms and PR and crisis communications and those are services we never offered before,” BPD cofounder and CEO Jason Brown said of the deal. “We’re really excited from that perspective to be able to round out our portfolio of services.”

BPD searched for over a year for potential acquisitions to fill a gap in their services offered to chief marketing officers, Brown said, noting that in today’s environment, it’s difficult to find top players in this space. 

Weber Shandwick announced it was selling Revive to BPD in October. The deal was signed in late November and closed Friday. According to a portfolio review Weber Shandwick conducted this summer, Revive is the “leading agency in its sector,” but its focus on health systems sits outside of the firm’s core business. 

BPD and Revive will continue to operate as independent brands in the market. Revive CEO Chris Bevolo will transition to the role of president, bringing along the agency’s entire leadership team and staff including EVP of integrated marketing Stephanie Wierwille, chief strategy and innovation officer Sasha Boghosian, chief communications officer Ryan Colaianni and chief financial officer Shontell James.

Revive named Chris Bevolo CEO in February, replacing Joanne Thornton, who left the firm last October. The agency hired Marian Dezelan and Kristen Wevers to work with the firm’s clients as part of its “CMO SWAT Team” in September.

The addition of Revive’s team of 80 staffers to BPD doubles the size of the combined company.

“[BPD is] at the forefront in particular things like data driven marketing and patient acquisition marketing, and that’s something that is a growing need for providers,” Bevolo said. “We’re going to be able to bring all of that expertise and experience to our clients and new clients so it’s a great opportunity.”

Revive’s immediate goals for the partnership is ensuring continued great service to existing clients and figuring out how to leverage new capabilities of the joint company for future clients over the next three to six months, Bevolo said. 

Revive will retain its name under BPD as the company continues to evaluate what’s in the best interest of the team, clients and the marketplace moving forward, according to Brown. 

No clients were impacted by the deal and no layoffs occurred as a result of the acquisition. 

Houlihan Lokey acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Interpublic Group and Revive. McDermott Will & Emery LLP acted as legal adviser to BPD. EY-Parthenon and CPI served as integration advisers to BPD and Revive. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. 

Revive was acquired by Weber Shandwick in 2016. The agency sits within the Weber Shandwick Collective under IPG. The holding company’s PR agencies also include Golin, DeVries Global and Current Global.

The PR firms under IPG’s Specialized Communications and Experiential Solutions segment registered mid-to high-single-digit growth in Q3, compared to single-digit growth in Q3 2022.

Revive is a Nashville-headquartered healthcare firm founded in 2009. The agency was originally known as ReviveHealth before rebranding in September 2021. Clients include PennState Health, UC Davis, UNC Health, Google Health, Kaiser Permanente and the American Hospital Association, among others. 

BPD is a portfolio company of private equity firm WindRose Health Investors. The New York-based health services company was founded in 2002 and serves a client roster that includes more than 250 hospitals such as the Children’s Hospital Association, Advent Health, the Federation of American Hospitals, HCA Healthcare and Mercy Hospital, among others.

This article originally appeared on PRWeek US.