Dex Media
| Company type | Public (formerly) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Print and digital marketing, directory publishing |
| Founded | 2002 |
| Founder | The Carlyle Group (led group of investors) |
| Fate | Acquired by R.H. Donnelley in 2006; merged with SuperMedia LLC in 2013 |
| Headquarters | Cary , United States |
Area served | United States (multiple states including Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming) |
| Parent | Dex One Corporation (post-2009), then merged to form new Dex Media, Inc. in 2013 |
Dex Media, Inc. originated in 2002 as a print and digital marketing enterprise, established by a group of investors led by The Carlyle Group to purchase the Qwest Dex business from Qwest Communications International. The firm went public in 2004 before being acquired by R.H. Donnelley in 2006, which later rebranded as DEX One in 2010.
US West Dex
In 1988, US West consolidated its telecommunication services under the unified "US West" brand. By 1995, the company divided into two segments: US West Communications and US West Media Group, with directory publishing handled by the Media Group under the name US West Dex. The publishing division operated as US West Dex, Inc.
QwestDex
Following its acquisition of US West in 2000, Qwest Communications International rebranded US West Dex to Qwest Dex, Inc. In 2002, Qwest underwent restructuring and opted to sell off Qwest Dex.
Dex Media
On August 20, 2002, a consortium led by The Carlyle Group, along with Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe and additional investors, completed a $7.5 billion leveraged buyout of Qwest Dex—one of the largest buyouts since 1989.
This acquisition was executed in two stages: in November 2002, directory operations across Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, and South Dakota were acquired for $2.75 billion forming Dex Media East LLC. Subsequently, in 2003, directory services in Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming were purchased for $4.30 billion as Dex Media West LLC.
Dex Media secured a landmark 50-year contract with Qwest to serve as its exclusive directory publisher—marking the first occasion a Baby Bell sold off its directory business.
The company launched its initial public offering on the NYSE in July 2004 with the ticker symbol "DEX". On October 3, 2005, R. H. Donnelley declared its intention to acquire Dex Media; this transaction was finalized on January 31, 2006. Following RHD’s bankruptcy in 2009, it was renamed as Dex One Corporation and headquartered in Cary, North Carolina.
In August 2012, Dex One merged with SuperMedia LLC to create a new entity named Dex Media, Inc.. This merger was completed on April 30, 2013, with the combined company commencing trading on the NASDAQ on May 1 under the ticker DXM. In August of that year, Geoff Fitzgibbons—recognized for his role in developing the company’s bundled service offerings—stepped down after guiding the firm through three mergers.
External links
- Dex Media
- Company Overview of Dex Media Inc – Bloomberg Businessweek (archived)