MCH Acquisition of the QED database

A big announcement was made on Friday, September 10th. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that Dun & Bradstreet had reached a settlement of the charges that its 2009 acquisition of QED was anticompetitive. As part of the settlement certain assets of the former QED, including the name and a subset of the QED database, will be sold to MCH. Additionally, customers with contracts established under QED will have the opportunity to terminate those contracts now held with MDR and incur no penalty. This ends the FTC’s lawsuit against Dun & Bradstreet.

Both MDR and MCH are long-time players in the education data business. Regardless of the data currently switching ownership, both these businesses will continue to work with customers in the same old way. Agile is proud to be the new kid on the block and offer education businesses a fresh alternative.

Robert O’Dell and Verlan Stephens, both with QED up until its acquisition by MDR, founded Agile in 2009 because they wanted to create an education data company that utilizes the latest technologies to provide customers cutting-edge data and services tailored to their needs.

Now, almost two years after its founding, Agile has:

• Built the newest K-12 database from the ground up, offering customers fresh, comprehensive access to school and district personnel.
• Developed a technology infrastructure that enables us to provide data and marketing solutions quickly, efficiently and exactly how customers need them.
• Attracted top talent from QED and MDR in all areas of the business so that we can truly offer customers knowledgeable, strategic education marketing advice.
• Established a reputation for developing relationships with customers, not just taking data orders.

There are now three strong options for education data. Agile is the right choice for education businesses looking for:

• Quality K-12 mailing and email lists
• An education marketing partner that will go the extra mile, develop custom solutions, and be a resource throughout the year, not just when it’s time to buy data
• New ideas, innovation and the ability to quickly respond to changes in the market and your needs

Call Agile today for more information about how the FTC’s ruling may impact your current data purchases, and to learn about opportunities to use Agile’s brand new database and education marketing expertise.