Hawke Media buys Minneapolis agency Rocket55 in its biggest deal yet

Hawke Media has bought Rocket55, a Minneapolis digital marketing agency, in what the Los Angeles group calls its biggest acquisition yet. It is Hawke's 26th deal. The price was not disclosed.

Rocket55 has been going since 2008. Founder Steven Ayres built it into a well-known name across the Midwest, offering SEO, paid media, web development, RevOps, content, digital strategy and AI visibility work. Kristen Findley is chief operating officer.

A founder who went looking

The most interesting detail is how the deal started. Ayres says he deliberately went looking for the right organisation to buy Rocket55. Findley's message to clients is continuity: their relationships with the Rocket55 team stay in place as the agency moves under Hawke's leadership.

Why Hawke wanted it

Hawke Media was founded in 2014 by Erik Huberman and has built itself through a steady run of acquisitions, including Normal Bear, PRP Group, SimplyBe., We Are Unicorns and Blue Light Media. It says it has worked with more than 6,000 brands, among them Red Bull, Funko, Crocs and K-Swiss.

Rocket55 gives it a proper foothold in the Midwest and an agency with 18 years of client relationships behind it. "This is the largest acquisition we've ever made," Huberman said in the announcement, crediting what Rocket55 had built.

For founders, there is a useful point in Ayres's approach. Choosing your buyer, rather than being chosen, usually means a better fit and a better conversation about what happens to your team and clients afterwards.

Ready to pick your own buyer? Agencies.co can help you find the right one.

Sources: Hawke Media (EIN Presswire)