Think804 acquires fellow Richmond creative agency Raison

Think804 founder Jason St. Peter, left, and Raison founder G. Lee Wall. (Nick Davis Photography)

One longtime Richmond creative agency acquired another earlier this month. 

Richmond-based Think804 recently announced its acquisition of Raison, including its team of two full-time and two part-time employees and client portfolio.

The deal was finalized March 10. Terms were not disclosed. 

Raison founder and owner G. Lee Wall will remain on with Think as a senior strategist. The acquisition brings Think up to six full-time employees and three part-timers, according to founder and creative director Jason St. Peter.

Think804 was founded in 2009. The agency has worked on brand positioning, digital and print campaigns, copywriting and more for clients including downtown-based investment banking firm Harris Williams and online wealth management company Avidus. 

St. Peter also has previously served as president and creative chair for the Advertising Club of Richmond and is concurrently a brand director for Sidekick RVA, a nonprofit made up of local business leaders that helps with career coaching, headshot photos and resume reviews.

Raison was founded in 2011 by Wall, a veteran of the local creative scene. Before founding Raison, he was a partner at Etre Communications, creative director for Martin Branding Worldwide and senior art director for Communication Arts. 

Raison has worked for clients including Canopy, a subscription service for HVAC air filter delivery, health and wellness service Creo, and numerous private schools such as Richmond-based St. Catherine’s School, Nansemond-Suffolk Academy in Suffolk and Foxcroft School in Middleburg. 

At its largest, Raison had a team of seven. Wall told BizSense he’s downsized at Raison over the past few years for a better work-life balance and ultimately decided last year to sell Raison.

“What this acquisition means is I’ll be spending less time on the business side of it and focusing more on creative work and strategy,” Wall said. 

The Think804 team. (Nick Davis Photography)

St. Peter said Wall reached out to him last fall about potentially acquiring Raison. Wall told BizSense the quality of Think’s work and Raison’s past collaborations with St. Peter made him feel he could entrust Think with Raison’s clients. 

Raison has specialized in recent years in doing work for private schools. With both firms having done some work for private schools, including Think’s work on Collegiate School’s triannual magazine SPARK, Wall felt there was an overlap in the two agencies’ knowledge. 

“That was something that was very appealing to me and one of the reasons I approached Jason about acquiring Raison,” Wall said. 

And with St. Peter and Lee having run in the same circles within the industry for a decade, St. Peter told BizSense he also felt the acquisition was a good fit. 

“I think both of us are cut from the same cloth of being very meticulous creative people; we’re almost neurotic about the details of things,” St. Peter said. “I felt really good about us blending our families together.” 

With Raison now part of Think, Wall said clients can expect more consistency in production and a greater output. 

“I felt like that’s something that I can entrust Think with,” Wall said. “They’re not only going to not mess up, they’re going to take it to another level.” 

The now-combined firm is headquartered in Think’s office at 1607 Sauer Ave.