The firms will maintain their separate identities, office locations and staffs, he said.
Fimiani declined to disclose the terms of the deal, which also includes Hafenbrack Marketing’s Genessa Health division.
Fimiani owns the combined companies with partner Bill Sterzenbach. Dave Hafenbrack, who founded Hafenbrack Marketing, will serve in a leadership role, focusing on business development and helping to win new clients, he said.
Founded in 1980, Hafenbrack Marketing is a traditional branding and marketing agency. Oxiem, launched in 2004, is focused on digital marketing services, such as search engine optimization.
“By combining the organizations, it allows us to provide comprehensive marketing capabilities to help clients succeed in both the traditional and the digital spaces,” Fimiani said.
Upward’s services include branding, interactive development, search marketing and content marketing.
Fimiani said a large agency servicing Fortune 500 brands might offer such a range of “progressive” marketing practices under a single umbrella. However, an agency offering the same depth of capabilities to medium-sized and small organizations is rare, he said.
Hafenbrack and Oxiem serve clients in the industrial, consumer and business-to-business markets. The firms’ clients include Accelerant, MB Senior Solutions, the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce and the Dayton Region Manufacturers Association.
Fimiani said both firms have seen positive growth. Upward has added four new positions in the Dayton market this year. “We’re still actively looking for team members in different areas,” he said.
Upward has 50 full- and part-time employees, including 35 in the Dayton-Springfield region. The company has offices in Dayton, Springfield, Columbus and Cleveland.
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