Equity Firm HGGC Takes Majority Stake in SSI

Palo Alto, California-based private equity firm HGGC has become the majority owner of the parent of sampling, data collection and analytics firm Survey Sampling International (SSI). The company was previously owned by two other investors, who will retain minority stakes.

Providence Equity Partners and Sterling Investment Partners have jointly owned the company since 2011. Terms of the latest transaction were not disclosed.

SSI's 3,300 staff work in 25 offices in eighteen countries and offer CATI, questionnaire design consultation, programming and hosting, online custom reporting and data processing. The firm's new majority owner focuses on leveraged buyout, recapitalizations and growth equity transactions in the middle market. Its CEO and Managing Partner Rich Lawson will become Chairman of SSI's Board, with HGGC Managing Partner Steve Young also joining the Board, where the two previous owners will still have representation.

Founded in 1977 and headquartered in Shelton, Connecticut, SSI has been busy of late, announcing partnerships with US Hispanic media firm Univision, on a survey panel, last week, and a deal with air loyalty program Avios , boosting its B2B inSSItes panel, a week before. Earlier in the year it launched the Miles for Thoughts panel and extended its QuickThoughts mobile data collection platform to Brazil, South Korea and New Zealand.

Chris Fanning, President and CEO of SSI, says of the new investment, 'We are very pleased to open this new chapter for SSI and accelerate our growth strategy that has been so successful the past several years. HGGC's deep knowledge of technology-enabled businesses and their collaborative approach to management will be invaluable in supporting SSI as we look to extend our industry leadership, enhance our product and technology offering, expand our global footprint, and capture a substantial and growing market opportunity.'

Lawson says SSI 'pioneered sampling, data collection and data analytics, and has been an industry innovator and leader since its inception', and adds: 'Chris and the SSI management team have positioned the company to increase its global market share as the demand for actionable market insights continues to expand, and we will work closely with them to build on that success.'

Web sites are at www.surveysampling.com and www.hggc.com .