Grimes, McGovern & Associates
Grimes, McGovern & Associates is a privately held M&A advisory firm founded in 1959 that specializes in sell-side, buyside, and valuation services for owners of media, events, publishing, and information services businesses, completing over 1,600 transactions across 10 U.S. states and international offices.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1959
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Grimes, McGovern & Associates does
Grimes, McGovern & Associates is a privately held M&A advisory firm founded in 1959 as W.B. Grimes & Company and now wholly owned by CEO John J. McGovern, who acquired the firm in January 2018. The firm specializes in sell-side representation, buyside acquisition advisory, and business valuations for companies in the publishing, events, digital media, and information services sectors. Its core service is a proprietary five-step sell-side process covering financial analysis, presentation planning, buyer screening via a proprietary global database of strategic and financial buyers, letter-of-intent negotiation, and closing management. The firm also offers buyside representation on retainer and assessment services for estate planning, ESOPs, fairness opinions, and change-of-control transactions.
The firm operates two practice divisions — the Global Events, Technology & Digital Media Group (with offices in Miami, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, and South America) and the Publishing Group — supported by 10+ associates who are former operators with careers in media and events. Geographic reach extends across 10 U.S. states and 2 international cities, with active transactions in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and South America. Additional service lines include online event advisory for virtual event platform transitions and corporate training M&A advisory.
GMA generates revenue through professional service fees on sell-side mandates, retainer-based buyside engagements, and assessment/valuation engagements, with pricing quoted on engagement rather than published publicly. Marketing and business development rely on thought leadership (M&A activity reports, newsletters, a resource library), conference presence (sponsorships of events such as UFI Global Congress and moderation at SIIA BIMS), regional associate outreach, and a complimentary initial assessment funnel targeting businesses with $1M+ EBITDA. The firm has completed over 1,600 transactions since inception and tracks hundreds of deals annually across its sector coverage.
Grimes, McGovern & Associates firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Grimes, McGovern & Associates
- Legal name
- Grimes, McGovern & Associates
- Website
- https://mediamergers.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1959
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Grimes, McGovern & Associates is a privately held M&A advisory firm founded in 1959 that specializes in sell-side, buyside, and valuation services for owners of media, events, publishing, and information services businesses, completing over 1,600 transactions across 10 U.S. states and international offices.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Grimes, McGovern & Associates industry classification
Industry- Product category
- M&A Advisory Services
- NAICS
- Management Consulting Services (54161)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- M&A Advisory (Buy-Side & Sell-Side) (BPAHAOAA)
Keywords
Where Grimes, McGovern & Associates is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices5 records
Markets served
Grimes, McGovern & Associates business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Sell-Side Advisory Fees: GMA represents sellers of media, events, publishing, and information services companies. Revenue is generated through advisory fees for managing the sale process from analysis through closing.
- Buyside Representation: GMA works with acquisition clients on retainer basis, assisting in uncovering, vetting, and completing acquisitions. Flexible fee structure for buyside representation to fit all needs.
- Assessment/Valuation Services: Business valuation services for estate planning, ESOPs, fairness opinions, change of control transactions, and shareholder protection. Complimentary initial assessment for businesses with $1M+ EBITDA.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Complimentary Initial Assessment |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Grimes, McGovern & Associates product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Grimes, McGovern & Associates is a specialized M&A advisory firm that represents owners of media, events, publishing, and information services companies in selling or acquiring businesses. The firm provides end-to-end sell-side advisory through a proprietary five-step process, buyside acquisition representation on retainer, and business assessment/valuation services for estate planning, ESOPs, fairness opinions, and change-of-control transactions.
Product overview
Grimes, McGovern & Associates is an M&A advisory firm offering a portfolio of professional services rather than a unified software product. The core offerings include Assessment Services (business valuation, ESOP, estate planning, fairness opinions, due diligence), Seller Services (sell-side representation through a five-step process), and Buyside Representation (acquisition advisory). The firm operates specialized practice groups: the Global Events, Technology & Digital Media Group handles events, trade shows, conferences, digital media and information services; the Publishing Group focuses on newspaper, magazine, newsletter and directory M&A. Additional services include Online Event Advisory for virtual/hybrid transitions, Corporate Training business advisory, and Business Listings services. The company also publishes industry insights through newsletters and M&A activity reports.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Assessment Services
- Seller Services
- Buyside Representation
- Global Events, Technology & Digital Media Group
- Technology, Digital Media & Information Services Advisory
- Publishing Group
- Events Divestiture & Acquisition Services
- Online Event Advisory Services
- Corporate Training Advisory Advisory services for corporate training and continuing education businesses, including assessment and M&A advisory for training and learning assets.
- Business Listings & Deal Flow Services Listing and marketing services for businesses for sale across events, information services, media, publishing, and B2B/B2C sectors, with an active pipeline of 15-25 businesses listed.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 1,600 successful transactions completed in 65+ years of operation
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Grimes, McGovern & Associates
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Grimes, McGovern & Associates technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Grimes, McGovern & Associates partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Plural StrategycorePlural Strategy provides commercial due diligence for GMA clients. Gabriella Rimmer, Director at Plural Strategy, participated in panel discussions with GMA CEO John McGovern at EN Indy Expo. Plural Strategy advised Nineteen Group on their acquisition of The Lead and Reliabilityweb, transactions where GMA represented the sellers.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Grimes, McGovern & Associates competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat4 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Grimes, McGovern & Associates social profiles
Digital presenceGrimes, McGovern & Associates financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Grimes, McGovern & Associates leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Grimes, McGovern & Associates funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Grimes, McGovern & Associates M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Grimes, McGovern & Associates
What does Grimes, McGovern & Associates do?
Grimes, McGovern & Associates is a specialized M&A advisory firm that represents owners of media, events, publishing, and information services companies in selling or acquiring businesses. The firm provides end-to-end sell-side advisory through a proprietary five-step process, buyside acquisition representation on retainer, and business assessment/valuation services for estate planning, ESOPs, fairness opinions, and change-of-control transactions.
Is Grimes, McGovern & Associates a public or private company?
Grimes, McGovern & Associates is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Grimes, McGovern & Associates founded?
Grimes, McGovern & Associates was founded in 1959. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Grimes, McGovern & Associates based?
Grimes, McGovern & Associates is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Grimes, McGovern & Associates make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Sell-Side Advisory Fees are the primary driver. The others are buyside Representation and assessment/Valuation Services.
Does Grimes, McGovern & Associates have an API?
No public API is recorded for Grimes, McGovern & Associates.
What industry is Grimes, McGovern & Associates in?
Grimes, McGovern & Associates's product category is M&A Advisory Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAOAA, M&A Advisory (Buy-Side & Sell-Side). Its NAICS code is 54161 and its SIC code is 8742.