Legacy technology advisory and consulting firm ARG announced a strategic growth investment from Bear Creek Partners. Specific financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but ARG executives described it as one of the largest seen in the TA space and said the funds will be used to hire sellers and engineers, make strategic acquisitions and continued investment into its platform.
One of the oldest TA firms in the channel, ARG was founded by communications channel pioneer Greg Praske in 1991, focusing originally on servicing the telecom needs of trade associations. Praske retired into a board position in early 2024. Bear Creek Partners is a private investment firm focused on partnering with family and founder-owned businesses.
Mike Shonholz, CEO of ARG, and James Larsen, President, will continue to lead the organization and guide its long-term strategy.
“Partnering with Bear Creek allows us to accelerate our growth without compromising who we are, strengthening our ability to help clients navigate complex technology decisions with clarity and confidence,” said Shonholz.
“This is about growth with intention,” added Larsen. “We are building something the channel has not yet delivered — the first true national direct-selling agency at scale.”
Whereas TAs often utilize sub-agents as their sales force, ARG uses mix of sub-agent contractors and internal full-time sellers. AGG believes this “national direct selling” models makes it easier to manage clients and drive long-term loyalty and growth. These direct sellers work toward managing partner status, and all managing partners that have been with ARG for a year or longer participated financially in the proceeds of the sale, the company reported.
“We are accelerating investment into new or existing high-performing agencies that want to be part of something bigger, while also expanding organically into more complex and higher-value solution sets, like AI,” Larsen continued. “Our platform gives the right agencies the ability to deepen their capabilities, serve clients more strategically, and grow beyond traditional transactional models. We want to partner with the top 1%. Those agencies that want to deliver more value to their clients but have yet to find the right fit.”
