CSM Sports & Entertainment has acquired GlideSlope, a boutique N.Y. agency "specializing in the Olympics and other global sports, along with marketing analytics," according to Lefton & Fischer of SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL. GlideSlope will "become the Advisory Group of CSM North America" and its 15 employees will be "merged with CSM S&E's consulting practice." GlideSlope co-Founders and sole equity stakeholders Dave Mingey and Eric Guthoff, both of whom were former SBJ Forty Under 40 honorees, will "become managing director and executive director of CSM Advisory, respectively, reporting to CSM North America President Rob McQueen." Mingey said, "We got serious with a few others, but we really feel like CSM is building the next-generation consulting company in sports." GlideSlope was founded in '10 and "quickly earned a reputation for top-level management advisor consulting, particularly with non-endemic clients employing sports marketing." GlideSlope also "developed and enhanced analytics at a time (post-recession) when the industry was desperate for more accountability." McQueen: "The piece of this that's most important to us is insights and analytics. They've become critical capabilities for any agency. Also GlideSlope's 'management consulting' positioning means their clients are usually C-level, so obviously, that's an advantage" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 4/10 issue).
