Grand Rapids, Mich., Oct. 9, 2014 – Lambert, a leading Midwest-based public relations, investor relations and public affairs firm, today announced it received the runner up Deal of the Year award from MiBiz, a Grand Rapids, Mich.-based business publication covering the business community of Michigan. The award recognized Lambert’s acquisition of Sterling Corporation, Lansing’s leading issues management and public affairs firm.

Lambert acquired Lansing, Mich.-based public policy and issues management firm Sterling Corporation in April 2014.  The M&A move bolstered Lambert’s public affairs practice and vaulted it to the #1 PR firm in the state’s capital and the largest public affairs firm in Michigan. It also followed the firm’s strategic plan to “lead Lansing” and become the dominant brand in that market.

“The addition of Sterling vaulted Lambert to the state’s top statewide PR firm and has served as a catalyst for more business in all our practice areas,” said Jeff Lambert, president and managing partner of Lambert. “Our firm’s strategy has always been to expand both organically and through acquisitions, and Sterling was a perfect addition to our firm’s current political affairs team in Lansing. We’re honored to receive this award and are excited to see how our two companies will continue to grow together.”

Best known for its public policy, issues management and issue advocacy work, Sterling Corporation offers comprehensive campaign management, grassroots/grasstops advocacy, ballot initiatives, integrated marketing and crisis management.  It is also the state’s leading fundraising consultancy.  Sterling was founded in 1999 and has clients across the state and throughout the country spanning corporations, associations, coalitions and non-profits seeking to influence public policy and advocate on behalf of their issues and campaigns.

The combination of Lambert and Sterling strengthened both firm’s leadership teams in Lansing and expanded the services offered to clients – services such as digital and social media, consumer and national media and messaging, and investor relations and corporate communications. While the issues Sterling handles are often regional, its clients are increasingly global and demanded more resources and an integrated approach that mirrors their scale. Lambert’s statewide offices and national-caliber talent represented the ideal partner to complement Sterling’s legislative acumen and access.

Lambert’s acquisition of Sterling is the firm’s fifth acquisition and second-largest since its 2009 acquisition of John Bailey & Associates, which marked the firm’s entry into Detroit, Lansing and the public affairs sector. Lambert has posted 15 straight years of growth and serves clients based in 20 states and six countries from its offices in downtown Grand Rapids, Lansing and Detroit.

About Lambert
Lambert (www.lambertweb.wpengine.com) is a top-10 Midwest-based PR firm and a top-20 investor relations firm nationally with clients based in 20 states and six countries. As Michigan’s only statewide PR firm – with offices in Grand Rapids, Lansing and Detroit –Lambert serves middle-market companies and national brands across a wide array of industries and is the state’s largest bipartisan public affairs firm. Lambert has posted 15 years of growth, been named PR Week and PRNews Small Firm of the Year, honored as an Edward Lowe “Michigan 50 Companies to Watch,” and earned Crain’s “Michigan’s Healthiest Employers” and “Coolest Places to Work” awards. Lambert is also a global partner in PROI Worldwide, the largest partnership of independent PR firms in the world spanning 120 cities on five continents. Follow us on Facebook and on Twitter @LambertEdwards.