Digital Commerce Agency CQL in Grand Rapids Gets Investment, New Leadership

    Digital commerce agency CQL in Grand Rapids has received an investment from Superstep Capital, a private equity firm based in Delaware focused on new technology services. The amount of the investment was not disclosed.
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    CQL man at his desk
    Digital commerce agency CQL in Grand Rapids received an investment from Superstep Capital. // Photo courtesy of CQL

    Digital commerce agency CQL in Grand Rapids has received an investment from Superstep Capital, a private equity firm based in Delaware focused on new technology services. The amount of the investment was not disclosed.

    “CQL is a leader in helping clients provide best-in-class ecommerce experiences, particularly in categories like apparel and beauty,” says Stuart Coleman, a partner at Superstep Capital. “We’re thrilled to partner with Dave, Justin, and the CQL leadership team to build the next great digital commerce agency.”

    Going forward, Dave Barr was named the company’s new CEO, while Justin Finnegan will serve as president and COO. They are industry veterans who led and grew Lyons Consulting Group in Ann Arbor and Gorilla Group in Chicago. Both were acquired by buyers Capgemini in Wixom and WPP in the United Kingdom, respectively.

    Ken Antel, founder of CQL, and Mark Lardieri, its current CEO of 20 years, will remain as investors and advisors to CQL, along with other employee shareholders.

    All other existing leadership team members will continue to serve CQL. In addition, industry veterans Ray Grady and Rich Lyons will join the board as advisors.

    “CQL is currently very well positioned as a platform for growth due to its experienced leadership team covering a large swath of the needs of our clients’ digital commerce investments — strategy, user experience, performance marketing, and industry leading technology capabilities aimed at driving revenue growth and profitability for our clients,” says Barr.

    In addition, the company is expanding its client roster to include U.S. and global brands seeking to evolve their digital commerce capabilities through new strategies, user experiences, design, and digital marketing with the help of platform partners Shopify, Salesforce Commerce Cloud, and BigCommerce.