Officials of sports representation firm CSMG are in acquisition talks with nine companies, including athlete representation firms and marketing firms, as part of a plan to build the Chicago firm into a powerhouse agency.
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CSMG President Thomas Kang declined to identify the potential acquisitions, but indicated that most of the firms were fairly new and run by young entrepreneurs, rather than major, established firms.
The targeted companies include golf, football, soccer, hockey and media talent representation firms, Kang said, along with a corporate consulting company, an event production company and an action sports marketing firm. CSMG is performing due diligence on the firms, he said.
"We want to be the premier sports management firm in the world," Kang said.
CSMG, which was founded by prominent baseball agent Alan Nero, also announced last week that it had hired Bob Gutkowski, former president of Madison Square Garden, as vice chairman, to help expand the company and integrate the acquisitions.
Gutkowski, who founded the Marquee Group and sold it to SFX Entertainment in 1999 for $100 million, said he plans to help Kang and Nero choose acquisition targets. He said his involvement could include efforts to secure financing through private sources for any desired acquisitions.
"CSMG looks to grow itself, not unlike the Marquee Group, and looks to make bigger acquisitions as it grows," he said.
