EnerNOC to pay $26.5M for Global Energy Partners

December 9, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

EnerNOC has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Global Energy Partners, an industry leader in designing and implementing utility energy efficiency and demand response programs. Through this acquisition, EnerNOC will expand its addressable market and will be able to deliver a broader, more integrated portfolio of world-class applications and services to its utility partners and commercial, institutional, and industrial (C&I) customer base.

“Our utility customers and prospects view demand-side resources as an integral component of their overall strategies,” said Tim Healy, Chairman and CEO of EnerNOC. “By joining forces with the Global Energy Partners team, EnerNOC is strengthening its ability to capitalize on this attractive market opportunity. We are eager to welcome Global Energy Partners and the utilities that it works with into the EnerNOC family, while at the same time, significantly enhancing the go-to-market reach for Global Energy Partners’ world-class solutions.”

“EnerNOC’s reputation for superior customer service, reliability, and technology applications and services is directly aligned with Global Energy Partners’ DNA,” said John Kotowski, CEO of Global Energy Partners. “Our combined experience working with hundreds of utilities throughout North America, our complementary technologies, and our shared commitment to partnership with our utility customers will empower us to deliver the industry’s most innovative and proven solutions.”

Global Energy Partners, a 55-person enterprise headquartered in Walnut Creek, California, operates across the United States. Its past and present clients include Pacific Gas & Electric , Southern California Edison,  Bonneville Power Administration, Duquesne Light Company, the Midwest ISO, Inland Power & Light, Oklahoma Gas & Electric, and Portland General Electric, among others.

Some immediate areas where the joining of EnerNOC and Global Energy Partners is anticipated to drive increased value include:

Integrated Commercial and Industrial Energy Efficiency and Demand Response Programs: Global Energy Partners has extensive experience designing and implementing turn-key, performance-based energy efficiency programs for utilities targeted at C&I customer segments. Combined with EnerNOC’s industry-leading presence in the C&I demand response market, EnerNOC will be able to better meet utilities’ growing needs for integrated energy efficiency and demand response solutions.

AutoDR: EnerNOC currently manages one of the largest portfolios of automated C&I demand response resources. Global Energy Partners has been an industry pioneer in implementing innovative AutoDR solutions, and has worked closely with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to develop and test the OpenADR communications protocol. EnerNOC anticipates that AutoDR will become increasingly important to utilities and grid operators as more intermittent renewable resources are added to generation portfolios.

Customized Services: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory forecasts that utilities will spend as much as $12.4 billion on demand-side solutions by 2020. Global Energy Partners’ diverse range of services will enable EnerNOC to play a bigger role in the lifecycle of utility demand-side management initiatives, from energy planning and load analysis, to program design, implementation and evaluation.

The acquisition is scheduled to close in early 2011. EnerNOC anticipates this acquisition to be neutral to earnings in 2011, and accretive in 2012.

EnerNoc has now bought nine companies, including Cogent Energy (building management – Concord, CA) and eQuilibrium Solutions (carbon accounting – Boston, MA).
 
USA, Boston, MA & Walnut Creek, CA

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Advantage IQ acquires The Loyalton Group

December 9, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

Strategic energy management solutions company Advantage IQ, is to acquire The Loyalton Group.

The Loyalton Group is headquartered in Minneapolis, MN, and has additional offices in Washington, DC and Houston, TX. The company provides energy procurement and price risk management solutions. The Loyalton Group is strong in the hospitality industry, with a particular presence in the multi-family, senior living, education and food service sectors.

Under the terms of the acquisition agreement, The Loyalton Group, with revenues in excess of $7.5 million for the 12 months ending Sept. 30, 2010, will become part of Advantage IQ. The transaction will be funded entirely by Advantage IQ and is expected to be slightly accretive to earnings in 2011. The transaction is expected to close before Jan. 1, 2011, and is subject to customary closing conditions.

Commenting on the acquisition, Jeff Heggedahl, president and chief executive officer of Advantage IQ, said, “This acquisition shows further progress in our strategy to expand market share, while continuing to provide clients with a deep bench of expertise to help them manage energy consumption and reduce costs.”

He continued, “The Loyalton Group has a roster of world-class clients. Their proven ability to secure aggressive energy pricing and develop unique risk management solutions will augment Advantage IQ’s well-established procurement services for its clients, many of which are Fortune 1000 companies.”

Services offered include utility expense management, energy procurement and price risk management, facility optimization and sustainability consulting. To support its national client base, Advantage IQ plans to maintain The Loyalton Group regional offices in Minneapolis, Minn., and Washington, D.C. Advantage IQ’s Heggedahl will continue to lead the organization, and Loyalton co-founders Michael R. Vaughan and Martin B. Sieh will assume roles on Advantage IQ’s senior leadership team. 

“Advantage IQ is a leader in the energy management space, and we are thrilled to be joining this outstanding group of professionals,” said Michael R. Vaughan, chief executive officer of The Loyalton Group. “The combined strength of both organizations will create opportunities for clients to further reduce expenditures, manage risk and leverage their sustainability initiatives for a competitive advantage.”

With this acquisition, Advantage IQ continues to build upon its already significant position in the industry, growing its valuable electric usage database of more than 25,000 MW of commercial and industrial load.  

Advantage IQ is a subsidiary of Avista Corp. (NYSE: AVA)

USA, Spokane & Minneapolis, MN

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Russian state-owned media may be put up for sale

December 7, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

 
Shaping the Future of the Newspaper blog is reporting that all newspapers, television channels and radio stations owned by members of the Russian government will be put up for sale. sfnblog quotes presidential aide Arkady Dvorkovich, “”Right now, it’s a pointless waste of time. They are to be sold, but the date hasn’t been established yet,”.

The story is based on reports in polit.ru and Trud.ru

Read the full story

Russia

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Synovate to acquire a majority stake in COMCON

December 7, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

Synovate, one of the world’s largest market research companies, is acquiring a majority stake in COMCON. Synovate’s existing Russian business and COMCON, Russia’s leading independent market research agency, will combine their capabilities and resources to leverage Synovate’s global reach and establish the leading market research player in Russia.

COMCON, established in 1991, is among the four biggest research companies in Russia with offices in Moscow and St Petersburg. The business, which is currently wholly owned by COMCON management, has significant custom and syndicated research capabilities and a high quality established customer base in a number of key industry sectors, including healthcare, FMCG, financial services and media.

Robert Philpott, Global CEO for Synovate, who announced the deal while in Moscow and welcomed COMCON to Synovate, said: “The acquisition of COMCON will make Synovate the leading market research company in Russia, with increased scale and resources, a wider range of management expertise and a more diverse client base. Our goal for the integrated business is to be number one in the Russian market – the combination of COMCON’s well-established Russian business and Synovate’s existing Russian operation creates that opportunity. Looking ahead, our significantly broader footprint in Russia will enable us to assist domestic clients to expand internationally and to support global clients in gaining access to the Russian market. This transaction therefore consolidates Synovate’s position as a leading market research provider within the Eastern European region.”

Over the coming months, the management, operations and research capabilities of both companies in Russia will be integrated into a single Synovate branded business.

Elena Koneva, General Director and Founder of COMCON, will become Managing Director of the new combined business with immediate effect. Oleg Feldman, founder of COMCON-Pharma, will continue to lead the healthcare business. Koneva has led COMCON since the company was founded in 1991, driving its performance, including through tough economic conditions in recent years. She is known as one of Russia’s most successful leaders in the industry.

Koneva said: “COMCON and Synovate represent a great fit. We have many complementary features, including our staff, services, methodologies and client sectors. This will be an exciting opportunity for us, becoming part of a leading global company and integrating the best of what we already have – great clients, great people and a great culture. We will integrate the business to create an even stronger team and ensuring our people are recognised as our most valuable business resource.”

The current Managing Director of Synovate Russia Panicos Ioannides will assist Koneva in her new role as Managing Director of the combined businesses and in the integration process over the coming months.

Russia, Moscow

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Specific Media acquires AdCombination

December 7, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

Specific Media, a next generation media platform company, has acquired Amsterdam-based AdCombination in a move to expand its operations into the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. AdCombination is a leading display network in the region, with a premium publisher network and strong industry relationships. With the acquisition, Specific Media extends its foothold as the largest independent digital media platform in Europe.

The acquisition follows Specific Media’s expansion into the Nordic region with office openings in Norway and Denmark in 2009 and Sweden in 2010. Specific Media’s move into the Benelux region reflects the company’s strong performance and focus on European growth, with the AdCombination business being integrated into the Specific Media brand.

“Specific Media continues to strategically build out its media platform on a global scale, and our move into the Benelux will provide tremendous opportunities for advertisers in the region while bolstering our industry-leading capabilities in Europe,” said Tim Vanderhook, co-founder and CEO of Specific Media. “By bringing together Specific Media’s next generation media platform with AdCombination’s executive leadership and presence in the market, we are able to provide our customers worldwide the advantages of a global media platform, presenting a value proposition that is simply unmatched in the industry.”

“AdCombination has built a strong customer base in the Benelux, and I am extremely pleased that we are becoming part of Specific Media to continue our growth as part of a leading, global brand,” said Tim Van Der Bilt, Managing Director of AdCombination. “Marketers across Europe are recognizing Specific Media’s superior product offering and levels of service, and I am looking forward to bringing this to customers across the Benelux.”

Netherlands, Amsterdam & Irvine, CA

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Google acquire Phonetic Arts

December 7, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

Google has acquired Bristish speech synthesis company Phonetic Arts. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Mike Cohen, Manager, Speech Technology at Google, said, “There’s a particular focus right now in the U.K. on technology and innovation, and we’re delighted to be deepening our investment in the country with this acquisition. We already have a strong engineering center in London and look forward to welcoming Phonetic Arts to the team. We are excited about their technology, and while we don’t have plans to share yet, we’re confident that together we’ll move a little faster towards that Star Trek future.”

Phoentic Arts was founded Paul Taylor (CEO), Anthony Tomlinson (Vice President, Voice Production) and Ian Hodson (Vice President, Engineering) in 2006. All three were avid gamers and all three believed that games could only get better by the inclusion of dynamic speech. The 14 staff are all based in Cambridge.In 2000, Taylor co-founded Rhetorical Systems and sold to, speech recognition giant Nuance, in 2004.

UK, Cambridge & USA, Mountain View, CA

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Google acquires Widevine

December 7, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

Google has acquired digital entertainment content business Widevine.Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Brian Baker, Widevine’s CEO, Widevine said “By working with Google, we are even further committed to the consumer Internet video experience and to the needs of content owners. Widevine will continue to supply the industry with leading video optimization and content protection solutions. We are excited to have access to Google’s vast resources as we continue to improve our products, support our customers, and meet the future needs of consumers, content owners, service providers and device manufacturers everywhere.”

Mario Queiroz, VP of Product Management at Google said, “We’re pleased to announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Widevine. The Widevine team has worked to provide a better video delivery experience for businesses of all kinds: from the studios that create your favorite shows and movies, to the cable systems and channels that broadcast them online and on TV, to the hardware manufacturers that let you watch that content on a variety of devices. By forging partnerships across the entire ecosystem, Widevine has made on demand services more efficient and secure for media companies, and ultimately more available and convenient for users.

We are committed to maintaining Widevine’s agreements and will provide direct, quality support for their existing and future clients—and we plan to build upon Widevine’s technology to enhance both their products and our own. We’re excited to welcome the Widevine team to Google, and together we’ll work to improve access to great video content across the web.”

USA, Mountain View, CA & Seattle, WA

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Groupon rejects Google’s $6 billion offer

December 7, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

According to numerous reports, Groupon has rejected a bid from Google of between $5 and $6 billion. Neither company is commenting on the story.

Groupon, which has raised around $170 million, is one of the fastest-growing VC backed companies ever. Forbes published an aticle in Augusted titled “Meet The Fastest Growing Company Ever“. Groupon’s annual revenues are reported at around $500 million. The All Things Digital blog reports that Groupon has attracted upward of $50 million in monthly revenue.

USA, Mountain View, CA & Chicago, IL

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Publishers Clearing House acquires Candystand.com

December 7, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

Publishers Clearing House has acquired Funtank and its casual and branded gaming property Candystand.com. Funtank will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Publishers Clearing House and maintain its current offices in the Tribeca neighborhood of New York City. Funtank will continue to be led by co-founders, James Baker and Scott Tannen. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“Candystand and the Funtank team will be key in driving Publishers Clearing House’s social, mobile and web game development capabilities and provide our advertisers with more scale and reach across the online gaming audience,” said Josh Glantz, vice president and general manager of PCH Online. “We look forward to combining our unique media offerings as well as promotional and sweepstakes expertise with their creativity to reach new audiences, deliver new experiences and develop new businesses. Integrating Candystand into our offerings will also enhance our ability to deliver a wider range of opportunities for consumers to play and win in addition to our traditional sweepstakes.”

Candystand.com was acquired by Funtank from Wrigley in 2008. Since its launch by Nabisco’s Life Savers Company in 1997, the site has built a substantial audience by delivering online games of the highest quality. In most cases, these games are branded and sponsored by some of the world’s top brands. By adding the Funtank team to its fold, Publishers Clearing House strengthens its emerging casual gaming business, enhances its unique advertising offerings and will help to attract, retain and build even bigger audiences across the web as well as social and mobile platforms.

“Joining forces with Publishers Clearing House will be outstanding for our Company, our clients and most importantly, our users,” said Funtank president and co-founder Scott Tannen. “We look forward to working with them to not only extend the reach and visibility of our integrated marketing programs, but to also bring our loyal audiences loads of new content and ways to win. In concert with the PCH team, the Candystand and Funtank brands will aggressively expand into the mobile and social media spaces, creating unparalleled branding entertainment opportunities for our clients.”

USA, New York, NY

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AOL exploring a breakup of the company and merger with Yahoo

December 7, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

Reuters is reporting that AOL is actively exploring a breakup involving a complicated series of transactions that may lead to a merger with Yahoo.

AOL has not made a formal proposal to Yahoo. Reuters sources have requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Read the full story

USA, New York, NY

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