Hart

What Hart does

Hart is a privately held, full-service independent brand transformation agency founded in 1965 and headquartered in Toledo, Ohio. The firm operates from four U.S. offices (Toledo, Columbus, Detroit, and Washington D.C.) with approximately 100 full-time employees and serves a roughly 50/50 mix of B2B and B2C clients. Its service portfolio spans 17 capabilities organized into seven verticals: Economic Development, Food & Beverage, Travel & Tourism, Health & Wellness, Manufacturing & Construction, and Arts & Education / Nonprofit & Philanthropy.

Core offerings include social media strategy and management, digital media buying and measurement analytics, multicultural and responsible-messaging outreach programs, national PSA and public education campaigns, UX/consumer experience design, employee communications, PR and crisis management, qualitative and quantitative research, strategic communications planning, brand strategy and identity, message development and testing, social marketing campaigns, strategic partnership development, web/app development, CMS implementation, and specialized government contracting services. Technology is delivered through a professional-services model leveraging third-party platforms such as HubSpot (where Hart holds Certified Partner status), with no proprietary AI/ML assets disclosed.

Hart's business model is B2B professional services with quote-based engagements. The go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales targeting government (federal, state, and local) and commercial clients across the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. The firm holds a Designated Small Business certification and operates on federal contract vehicles (PSS, AIMS schedules), giving it access to set-aside government marketing contracts. Notable customers include the Ohio Lottery, DC Lottery, Ohio Department of Transportation, Ohio Liquor Control Commission (OHLQ), Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, Destination DC, Destination Toledo, Detroit Regional Partnership, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Children's Minnesota, Cherry Street Mission Ministries, and a roster of commercial brands including Mitsubishi, La-Z-Boy, Bob Evans, Mars, Abbott, and Caterpillar. The firm has executed three acquisitions (Conrad Phillips & Vutech in 2016, MDB Communications in 2022, and Rebuild in 2025) to expand its geographic and service footprint, and reports 70% growth over the trailing three years.

Name

Hart

Legal name

Hart

Website

https://hartinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Hart is a privately held, full-service independent brand transformation agency founded in 1965 and headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, with four U.S. offices serving government (federal, state, local) and commercial clients across seven verticals including economic development, healthcare, tourism, and food and beverage.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Maumee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Marketing and Advertising Services: Full-service marketing and PR agency providing brand transformation, integrated campaigns, and strategic communications services to government and commercial clients.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Hart is a full-service, independent brand transformation agency providing integrated marketing, advertising, and public relations services. The agency delivers strategic communications, digital media buying, social media management, creative development, web/app development, CMS implementation, and government contracting services across verticals including Economic Development, Food & Beverage, Travel & Tourism, Health & Wellness, Manufacturing & Construction, and Arts & Education.

Product overview

Hart is a full-service, independent brand transformation agency offering a comprehensive suite of marketing and advertising services. The company operates as a single integrated agency rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture, providing services across social media strategy, digital media buying, multicultural outreach, public relations, brand strategy, web development, and government contracting. Hart specializes in six industry verticals: Economic Development, Food & Beverage, Travel & Tourism, Health & Wellness, Manufacturing & Construction, and Arts & Education/Nonprofit & Philanthropy. The agency has 4 office locations (Toledo, Columbus, Detroit, and Washington D.C.) and was established in 1965, with recent strategic acquisitions expanding its national presence.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Social Media Strategy, Management & Analysis
• Digital Media Buying & Measurement Analytics
• Multicultural Outreach Programs
• National Public Education & PSA Campaigns
• User Experience & Consumer Experience Design
• Public Relations, Media Relations & Crisis Management
• Qualitative & Quantitative Research
• Strategic Communications Planning
• Brand Strategy & Identity Planning
• Message Development & Testing
• Web & App Development
• CMS Implementation
• Government Contracting Services
• Employee Communication & Recruitment
• Social Marketing Campaigns

Quantifiable outcome

• Won 20 ADDY Awards including Best of Show and Judge's Choice honors
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Marcus Thomas LLC: Cleveland-based independent full-service advertising and marketing agency of similar size. Comparable as a Midwestern independent with integrated creative, media, PR, and digital offerings serving a mix of regional and national B2C/B2B clients.
• Gatesman: Pittsburgh-based independent full-service agency with similar scale and service breadth across advertising, PR, digital, and media. Comparable as a Rust Belt independent competing for similar regional and mid-market clients.
• The Tombras Group: Knoxville, TN independent integrated agency with comparable size and full-service offering across creative, media, digital, and PR. Comparable as an independent that has scaled via acquisition while serving government, healthcare, and consumer clients.
• Doe-Anderson: Louisville, KY independent full-service agency of similar scale. Comparable as a privately held Midwestern/Southern independent offering integrated brand, advertising, and digital services to consumer and B2B clients.
• Bernstein-Rein: Kansas City-based independent advertising agency of similar size and heritage. Comparable as a long-standing independent with integrated brand strategy, advertising, digital, and media services for retail, consumer, and B2B clients.
• Brunner: Pittsburgh-based independent integrated marketing agency of comparable scale. Comparable as a privately held independent with full-service capabilities across advertising, digital, PR, and analytics for consumer and B2B clients.
• BVK: Milwaukee-based independent full-service marketing agency with comparable size and integrated offerings. Comparable as a privately held Midwest independent competing for consumer, healthcare, and tourism accounts.

Broad incumbents

• Ogilvy: Global WPP-owned advertising network with a substantial public-sector and government-marketing practice. Comparable as a competing provider of integrated creative, PR, and digital services to government and large commercial clients that Hart also targets.
• VML: Global WPP-connected creative and digital agency network with significant government and public-sector work. Comparable as a scaled incumbent competing for the same integrated marketing RFPs that Hart wins in the government and healthcare verticals.
• Weber Shandwick: Global IPG-owned PR and integrated communications agency with strong public-sector and government practice. Comparable as a larger incumbent offering PR, public education, and integrated campaign services that overlap with Hart's reputation, PR, and PSA offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hartinc
• Facebookfacebook.com/hartassociates
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hart-associates

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A3 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hart