WASHINGTON, DC (September 14, 2021) —  GovExec, the leading information services and insights company for government leaders and contractors, today announced the acquisition of Market Connections, the most well-respected research and insights company serving the public sector. The announcement was made today by Tim Hartman, CEO, GovExec. This acquisition continues the company’s series of highly strategic acquisitions announced over the last year that reinforce GovExec’s commitment to the government market. Terms of the transaction are not being disclosed. Peter Goldstone, Chairman of GovExec, served as advisor. The deal was completed with financial support from mid-market private equity firm Growth Catalyst Partners (GCP). 

Following on the heels of GovExec's recent acquisitions of data platforms GovTribe and The Atlas for Cities, today’s acquisition underscores GovExec’s strategy to invest in research and data services. Actionable intelligence is what fuels GovExec‘s suite of decision support, access, and engagement tools for government contractors. With the addition of Market Connections, GovExec will expand its research capabilities to further enhance the company’s data and insights products, buyer intent capabilities, and content production to support government contractors’ entire go-to-market strategy. 

Market Connections brings its deep expertise in research and, even more importantly, in mining that research for insights that can drive strategy, marketing and spend decisions,” said Tim Hartman. “Bringing their actionable intelligence in-house fuels the growth of our Research Center of Excellence and will prove to be a real game-changer as we expand our offerings across the public sector.”

Founded more than 25 years ago, Market Connections helps government contractors develop and execute comprehensive research that enables them to understand the competitive landscape, their position with key audience segments, and measure the impact of their advertising and outreach activities. 

With the addition of Market Connections to GovExec’s data and insights portfolio, the company is also creating a soon-to-be-named Research Center of Excellence, which already includes Government Business Council (GBC) and its Leading Brands in Government franchise. This newly visioned research center will be led by Aaron Heffron who will assume the role of Executive Vice President, Market Connections. He will bring his unmatched experience in research and analysis in various industries and sectors, including the federal government, trade associations, technology, television and radio, and telecommunications to GovExec. Market Connections CEO Lisa Dezzutti will remain with the company in an advisory capacity.

"Lisa Dezzutti founded this company to provide a connection between government leaders and contractors in hopes of improving services and increasing the ability of both to get the important work of this country done,” said Aaron Heffron. “Becoming part of a trusted brand like GovExec will increase our abilities to reach the right people at the right time and provide an unmatched feedback loop between the public sector and the contractors that serve them. We look forward to working together with our new colleagues at GBC to create a real Center of Excellence that will provide our clients robust, unbiased and actionable intelligence going forward.”

"Joining the GovExec team creates a strong and effective combination. It’s a good strategic fit for the Market Connections team and our clients. I’m excited to see the next level of growth in our product and service offerings to support our unique client needs,” said Lisa Dezzutti. 

Through GovExec’s investment, marketing power, and the deep behavioral data that GovExec collects every day across its network of nearly three million unique monthly engagers, Market Connections will accelerate its growth and harness the untapped potential of GBC and Leading Brands, building more products and insights solutions for the public sector.

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About GovExec

As the market-leading information platform, for over fifty years GovExec has empowered the government ecosystem to engage and support government leaders as they work to achieve their missions across federal, defense, and state and local agencies. All powered by the largest and most sophisticated database in the public sector, GovExec’s platform services are three-fold—data that informs, media that connects, and marketing services that activate. Reaching nearly three  million government influencers each month, GovExec’s brand and platform portfolio includes Government Executive, GovTribe, Nextgov, Public Sector 360, Government Contracting Institute, Government Marketing University, Defense One, Military Periscope, The Atlas for Cities, Route Fifty, City & State New York, City & State Pennsylvania, and a strategic investment in Power Almanac.

About Market Connections

Market Connections offers primary market research services, including surveys, focus groups and in-depth interviews. The company specializes in technology and the public sector, especially the federal market. In a challenging business environment, only the market can accurately answer critical business questions. Custom market research services will put those answers right at your fingertips so you can identify and leverage opportunities, position competitively and win more business. For more information, visit MarketConnections.com.

Media Contact
Liz Stein
lstein@govexec.com | (240) 461-3053