Gold Mountain Communications acquired

Gold Mountain Communications LLC, an inbound/outbound call center and service agency based in Springfield, has been acquired by an international company.

Hugo Inc., a Chicago-based business process outsourcing company that operates on a global scale, closed today on the purchase of Gold Mountain Communications, said Ian McGuire, chief operating officer and co-owner of the Springfield business with founder Hank Seevers. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

McGuire, who remains COO and a minority stake owner along with Seevers, said the acquisition came about after Gold Mountain began exploring growth initiatives in 2024.

"This has been a long, diligent process," McGuire said, noting the deal with Hugo was finalized "almost 10 months to the day" after discussions started with the company.

Kirill Pesterev, chief corporate development officer at Hugo, said the company would gain expertise in the travel and hospitality industries with the purchase of Gold Mountain, while the latter business would gain access to sectors such as technology, health care and e-commerce.

"We really want to have our center of U.S.-based excellence here in Springfield, Missouri," Pesterev said. "The company is global, so we have the workforce around the world, in multiple countries."

The intention in the short term is to keep the Gold Mountain Communications name intact as a subsidiary of Hugo, Pesterev said.

"We really want to build and utilize the brand that's happening here over the last 15-plus years," he said.

Seevers, who will remain involved in Gold Mountain as a strategic adviser, launched the company in 2009, according to Springfield Business Journal archives. 

"After 16 years of building Gold Mountain on principles of integrity, respect and commitment, I wouldn't partner with just anyone," Seevers said in a news release announcing the acquisition. "Hugo shares our belief that quality matters, that people matter and that clients deserve partners who go above and beyond."

McGuire said the company now employs 375 – who will all stay on board – and this year recorded roughly 2.5 million total calls. Company officials declined to disclose annual revenues.

“Our existing business and our people, that's what made us attractive," he added.