When the right people, clients and opportunities align, growth becomes more than a business strategy.
Every agency has a story. The challenge is deciding how that next chapter gets written. Part of our story has been the strategic acquisition of agencies over time. Sometimes it’s been to add a service or capability we didn’t have or to gain exposure to a new vertical. Other times it’s simply about bulking up.
When people hear the word “acquisition,” they tend to think about balance sheets, contracts and corporate strategy.
We think about people.
Behind every acquisition are employees wondering what comes next. Clients hoping the relationships they’ve built won’t change. Founders thinking carefully about the legacy they’ve spent decades creating.
That’s why our recent acquisition of LKH&S feels different.
For more than 30 years, LKH&S built a reputation for delivering meaningful results for its clients and cultivating relationships that stood the test of time. As principals Stanton Lewin and Sam Kirshenbaum began thinking about their agency’s next chapter, they approached it with the same care and intentionality that had guided their business for decades.
Their goal wasn’t simply to find a successor. It was to find the right partner—one who could create new opportunities for their employees, expand possibilities for their clients and honor the culture and relationships they had worked so hard to build. It’s why they spent more than a year looking before the stars finally aligned.
At the same time they were looking, Motion was looking toward its own future. As we celebrate our 20th anniversary and continue investing in the growth of our team, we remain committed to something that’s becoming increasingly rare in our industry: independent agency ownership.
This year, we expanded our Chicago headquarters by more than 5,000 square feet, creating additional room for collaboration, creativity and growth. Although the expansion was designed to support our long-term vision, it also positioned us to welcome new talent when the right opportunity came along.
When the opportunity to meet the LKH&S team arose, it quickly became clear there was something special about the fit.
“Opportunities like this don’t come along every day,” said Kimberly Eberl, founder and CEO of The Motion Agency. “We saw talented people who cared deeply about their clients and an ethos that felt remarkably familiar to our own. The timing was right, the fit was right, and together we saw a chance to do something that would benefit our employees, our clients and both organizations.”
Yes, there were strategic advantages. LKH&S brings deep B2B and more CPG and packaging expertise, a group of diversely talented people, deep client relationships they’ve sustained over decades and strategic thinking and research capabilities. Their strengths complement our own, creating opportunities to expand what we can offer our clients and also to learn from one another.
But what stood out most wasn’t what was on paper.
It was the people.
We saw a team of highly charged go-getters. A culture built around service, collaboration and results. And, most importantly, we saw an opportunity to create something better together than either organization could create alone.
That’s the kind of growth we believe in.
The agency business is often obsessed with size. Bigger networks. Bigger offices. Bigger deals. But growth only matters when it creates meaningful opportunities for the people involved.
In this case, everyone benefits.
LKH&S employees gain access to a larger team, broader resources, and new opportunities for professional growth within a Crain’s Best Places to Work in Chicago organization.
LKH&S clients gain access to Motion’s fully integrated capabilities, including public relations, digital marketing, content creation, strategy and creative services, all while continuing to work with the people they know and trust.
Motion employees gain talented new colleagues, fresh perspectives and years of expertise to make us stronger.
And for the founders of LKH&S, the agency they spent decades building doesn’t disappear. It evolves and becomes something greater.
“For 34 years, everything we’ve done has been about one thing: delivering real results for our clients,” said Stanton Lewin, principal at LKH&S. “Joining The Motion Agency doesn’t change that. If anything, it amplifies it. We’re bringing our clients fresh talent, expanded skills and greater resources to do even more for the people who’ve placed their trust in us. This is LKH&S re-energized, and I couldn’t be more excited about what comes next.”
That’s why we don’t see this as an ending. We see it as the beginning of a new chapter.
One where talented people have more opportunities to grow. One where clients have access to more resources and capabilities. One where two organizations with common values can accomplish more together than they would have apart.
At a time when agency consolidation often feels impersonal, we’re proud to be investing in a different vision for growth—one rooted in people, relationships and the enduring value of independence.
No, the best acquisitions don’t just look good on paper. They look good for people, too.
