Spartan Marketing, a Greensboro-based marketing agency, has acquired website design and development firm Notion Design Group, adding a dedicated web services division to its business. The acquisition, which closed in July, brings Notion co-founders Joel Eschenbach and Tommy Bradley into leadership roles and expands Spartan’s offering across website development, SEO, paid media, content and sales enablement.

Spartan Marketing has acquired Notion Design Group, a website design and development firm with a portfolio of more than 1,000 websites built since 2006. The deal establishes a dedicated website design and development division within Spartan, combining web production with the agency’s existing marketing services.

Notion serves more than 70 businesses, nonprofits and agencies. Under the new structure, co-founders Joel Eschenbach and Tommy Bradley will lead the division as Creative Director and Director of Web Development, respectively. The companies say existing client engagements—including active website builds, managed hosting and ongoing maintenance—will continue with the same team.

The acquisition reflects a common challenge for organizations managing their digital presence: websites, search optimization, advertising and content are often handled by separate providers. While specialist vendors can bring deep expertise, fragmented responsibility can complicate project coordination, messaging consistency and performance measurement.

Spartan’s expanded offering is intended to bring more of those activities under one agency relationship. Its services now span website design and development, marketing strategy, StoryBrand messaging, SEO, paid media, content and video, and sales enablement.

David Lillard, Spartan Marketing’s co-founder, said the website is central to the plans the agency develops for clients, making the addition of Notion’s web expertise a natural extension of its existing services. Eschenbach said Notion clients will retain the team and services they selected while gaining access to a broader range of marketing capabilities.

The continuity commitment is significant for clients with websites in development or under ongoing management. Changes in ownership can introduce uncertainty around project schedules, account management and technical support. Keeping the existing team in place may help reduce disruption, although the companies have not provided details about changes to service agreements, pricing or future platform investments.

The deal also illustrates how agencies are seeking to connect website delivery more closely with marketing strategy. A website is not simply a design asset: it supports organic search visibility, paid campaign conversion, lead generation and sales enablement. Bringing development and marketing under one provider can make it easier to coordinate those functions, provided the agency maintains clear accountability for technical quality and campaign performance.

However, a broader service portfolio does not automatically guarantee better outcomes. Businesses evaluating an integrated agency model should still examine development standards, website accessibility, security, site speed, content governance and how marketing performance is measured. They should also establish who owns the website, its content and its underlying technical assets.

Spartan has not disclosed the financial terms of the acquisition. The announcement also does not specify whether the firms plan to change their technology platforms or expand the division’s staffing beyond the two co-founders’ leadership appointments.

For Spartan, the acquisition provides an established web development capability and an opportunity to deepen client relationships. For Notion’s customers, the immediate message is continuity alongside access to a wider set of marketing services. The longer-term value will depend on how effectively the combined team translates that expanded scope into better coordinated digital experiences and measurable business results.

Market Landscape

Spartan’s acquisition reflects a broader agency trend: businesses increasingly want their websites, content and demand-generation activities to work as a coordinated system rather than as separate projects managed by multiple vendors.

Webflow’s 2025 State of the Website survey of 500 marketing leaders found that 91% said their website drives more revenue than any other marketing channel. The research also found that 90% reported growth in their technology stack over the previous year, underscoring the challenge of coordinating digital tools and responsibilities.

For marketing agencies, bringing web design and development in-house can provide greater control over delivery, technical maintenance and campaign alignment. The potential advantage is not simply offering more services; it is coordinating the website with SEO, messaging, advertising and conversion goals from the outset.

However, integration alone does not guarantee stronger performance. Clients still need clear reporting, reliable technical execution and measurable links between website improvements and business outcomes.

Strategic Outlook

For Spartan Marketing, the acquisition adds an established development team and extends the agency’s ability to manage more of the digital customer journey internally. Keeping Notion’s co-founders in leadership roles may also help preserve client relationships and technical continuity.

The opportunity is to align website roadmaps with marketing priorities, reducing the handoffs that can slow down campaigns and site improvements. The challenge will be maintaining the specialist focus required for development, hosting, security and performance while coordinating those services with broader marketing programs.

For businesses considering a similar agency arrangement, the relevant questions are whether one provider can deliver both strategic oversight and technical depth, how results will be measured, and who retains ownership of the website and its underlying assets.

Top Insights

• Spartan Marketing acquired Notion Design Group to establish an in-house website design and development division and expand its integrated marketing services.

• Notion’s co-founders, Joel Eschenbach and Tommy Bradley, will lead the new division while existing client engagements continue under the same team.

• The expanded offering combines website development with SEO, paid media, content, video, messaging and sales enablement.

• Webflow’s 2025 survey found that 91% of marketing leaders said their website drives more revenue than any other marketing channel.

• The acquisition’s long-term value will depend on delivery quality, technical reliability and the ability to demonstrate measurable business outcomes.

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