KSM Consulting (KSMC) has acquired Advocate Solutions, a Columbus, Ohio-based management and technology consulting firm focusing on the public sector.
Spun off from Indianapolis accounting firm Katz, Sapper & Miller in 2008, KSMC delivers consulting services in management, technology, and data and analytics. The firm has served more than 350 clients in state & local government, nonprofit, higher education, healthcare, and enterprise clients.
KSMC was acquired last year by private equity firm Renovus Capital Partners. The new private equity ownership led to KSMC hiring 88 new employees in 2019, nearly doubling its size. The company also expanded its business applications practice with the acquisition of Connect Think, an Indianapolis-based app development firm.
Now, the fast-growing consulting firm has made another acquisition, adding the 28 data and technology professionals at Advocate Solutions. Founded in 1995, Advocate delivers tech, data, and consulting solutions to state, local, and federal agencies. The firm has particular expertise in modernizing legacy applications and supporting public assistance contact centers.
The acquisition will strengthen KSMC’s public sector market, and will expand the firm’s presence to Columbus, Ohio and Lansing, Michigan. The deal will also add clients in Michigan, Massachusetts, and New York. KSMC said in a press release that it would maintain Advocate’s contact center partnership with Cincinnati Bell Technology Services.
“Advocate Solutions’ team has been providing mission-critical outcomes to our neighboring states and beyond for almost a quarter of a century,” said Mark Caswell, CEO of KSM Consulting. “We’re proud to add this group of dedicated professionals to the KSMC team and grow our impact together. This acquisition helps us expand the reach of our mission – to help our clients, coworkers, and communities thrive – and provides the opportunity to support more communities by working with their governments to solve the complex challenges facing our world today.”