Leapfrog Online to expand — or move

Leapfrog Online is looking to expand its Evanston headquarters — but it’s not ruling out a move to the Merchandise Mart.

Rumors have been mounting that yet another technology company will soon move into the River North site.

Dave Husain, Leapfrog Online CEO and co-founder, said Monday that the digital marketing company has outgrown its 25,000 combined square feet of space in three buildings at 805, 807 and 808 Greenwood in Evanston, and is seeking another 5,000 to 7,000 square feet by year’s end.

Husain said Leapfrog Online feels a great loyalty to Evanston. Asked whether his company was joining the tech scene at the Mart, he said: “It could be a possibility in the future. … It’s not a primary objective right now. But we are very appreciative of the efforts there to build a tech community in the last three to five years. It’s a real asset to the community. We want to be supportive of that.”

The fast-growing Leapfrog Online — not to be mistaken with the California company that makes educational toys — expects to grow from 130 employees to 175 in the next 12 months as companies increasingly seek outside expertise to develop their mobile and digital marketing campaigns, buy their advertising, get noticed on social media sites, and craft strategy based on data-driven analytics insights.

Leapfrog’s clients include big names like Charter, Cox, Comcast, Time Warner Cable TV, ServiceMaster and TruGreen.

The company competes against a wide spectrum of agencies ranging from Leo Burnett to Razorfish — the latter of which has its Chicago office in the Mart.