Gatesman, one of the fastest-growing, mid-size, privately owned agencies in the U.S., is increasing in size and revenue by nearly 50 percent with the acquisition of Noble Communications, an award-winning, 49-year-old marketing communications firm in the Midwest.

With the acquisition, Pittsburgh-based Gatesman grows to more than 125 employees and expands to two additional offices in Chicago and Springfield, Mo. The acquisition increases the agency's depth of expertise in new and existing areas with combined talent from both organizations, and adds new and complementary capabilities to even better serve regional, national and international clients.

"We're bringing together incredible talent and brands from two successful agencies to form an even stronger powerhouse of resources for our clients and continued momentum of industry-leading growth," said John Gatesman, CEO, Gatesman. "We were already succeeding in a space where larger agencies tend to play – with these added resources and extended capabilities you can expect us to be even bolder on a national and international stage."

The combined client roster from the two agencies establishes Gatesman's expertise in the categories of Healthcare, Food & Retail, Energy, Financial Services, Higher Education, Home & Building, and Technology & Services. Gatesman teams will continue to serve well-recognized brands across these categories and beyond, including Michigan Ross School of Business, Rutgers, StarKist®, Del Monte, Hormel Foods, SHOP 'n SAVE, Thorntons Convenience Stores, UPMC, Northwell Health, PPG, Hoover, Dirt Devil, TAMKO, the Pittsburgh Penguins NHL franchise, Duquesne Light Company, CONSOL Energy, COUNTRY Financial, S&T Bank, Stratasys, Tobii Dynavox, and National Inventors Hall of Fame.

"The cultures of Gatesman and Noble are very compatible – with respect for insights and analytics to drive creative and quality work," said Bob Noble, founder and chairman, Noble Communications. "I really admire what Shannon and John have built, and the combined agency's future is in great hands with Gatesman. It's a great fit and will mean additional support with expanded capabilities for the clients and for future new business."

John Gatesman will continue in the role of CEO, and Shannon Baker as President, of the combined entity. The management team from Noble Communications remains in place as part of Gatesman, and the agency continues as a partner in AMIN Worldwide, an alliance of over 50 independent marketing agencies, and IPREX, a global communications network. Agency capabilities span strategy/branding, advertising, digital, public relations, social media, media planning and buying, and insights and analytics. Bob Noble will continue to lead The Food Channel, which was not part of the acquisition. His focus will be growing and expanding food publishing and Noble's food marketing, which remains in Springfield, Mo.

Gatesman opened its doors in 2006 and quickly became one of Pittsburgh's fastest-growing companies. It was most recently named to Inc. Magazine's annual 500|5000 list, an exclusive ranking of the nation's fastest growing private companies, for the third consecutive year. Additionally, Gatesman has become one of the most awarded agencies of its size for its work in advertising, public relations and social media, and has been recognized for the past nine years as one of Western Pennsylvania's Best Places to Work.

For more information, please visit www.gatesmanagency.com or join in on the conversation on Facebook or Twitter.

About Gatesman:

Gatesman is one of the fastest-growing, mid-size, privately owned agencies in the U.S. With offices in Pittsburgh, Chicago, and Springfield, Mo., Gatesman is a fully integrated, independent marketing communications agency with expertise in strategy/branding, advertising, digital, public relations, social media, media planning and buying, and insights/analytics. Gatesman is a partner in AMIN Worldwide, an alliance of over 50 independent marketing agencies, and IPREX, a global communications network. Gatesman acquired Quest Fore in 2014 and Noble Communications in 2017.