Hughes Associates to Merge With Consulting Firm RJA Group
Hughes Associates aims to use the merger to expand globally while RJA plans to utilize the R&D arm of the Baltimore firm.
The merger between consulting firms Hughes Associates and RJA Group is expected to be completed by the year's end and will include a new name and branding.
BALTIMORE – Hughes Associates, a fire protection and life-safety engineering and consulting firm, based here, has reached a definitive merger agreement with RJA Group, a consulting company based in Chicago.
In a joint statement, the two companies said the combined organization will create a leading provider of lifecycle building consultancy services that will include, risk analysis, system design, commissioning, research, testing and project management solutions that encompass fire protection, security and related disciplines.
“The built environment is going through a transition where engineers are involved throughout the design, development and construction of a project,” says David Boswell, president of Hughes Associates. “In order for our business to continue the growth cycle we’ve been experiencing, we have to add the skilled and complementary services needed to fulfill the requirements that our clients are seeking. RJA brings to the table a flawless global record and reputation as well as an unprecedented staff with widespread technology expertise.”
The combined companies will bring together 500 employees, offices throughout the world and more than $100 million in revenue. Hughes Associates will now expand into a larger international footprint while RJA will utilize the extensive research and development for which Hughes is known.
“This merger is mutually beneficial for Hughes and RJA,” says Martin Reiss, president of RJA Group. “We will be able to further leverage our technical resources in order to provide even greater opportunities to service our clients. This partnership will also provide great career growth potential for our employees.”
Phil Rogers, an operating partner of private equity firm Huron Capital Partners LLC, which has owned Hughes since 2011, will assume the position of CEO of the merged companies. Rogers has nearly 40 years of experience in facilities management, engineering, energy construction and real estate. A Hughes board member, he also is former president and COO of Consolidated Engineering Services, a Washington, D.C., building-technology services firm, according to two online biographies.
The transition and integration of the companies will be completed by year’s-end and will include a new name and branding, according to the joint statement.
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