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The real estate and construction consultancy RLF, which has a strong presence in Birmingham with clients such as the University of Birmingham and Bruntwood SciTech, was taken over by a US company.

MGAC, a North America-based project and expense management consultancy, has completed the acquisition of RLF for an undisclosed cash purchase.

The deal will bring the company’s total sales to £ 55 million.

The company will have over 270 employees in 10 offices on two continents.

RLF’s Midlands office is located at 1 Newhall Street in Birmingham.

The acquisition will retain the existing workforce and RLF’s 136-year legacy.

The current managing partner of RLF, David Thomson, has taken this as an opportunity to announce his resignation, with Sean Clemons, managing partner of RLF, being unanimously elected as his successor by the existing RLF partners.

With the takeover, Clemons will take on the role of Managing Director in Great Britain.

All RLF partners will remain in office as directors, with Chris Barker, Andy Dedman and Dorothy Robertson becoming executive directors overseeing the Midlands, London and South East regions and Scotland respectively.

RLF was founded in 1885 and has 100 employees in four UK offices in London, Birmingham, Brighton and Glasgow. The core services of RLF include cost management, project management, construction management, occupational safety and building surveying. A selection of their long-standing key customers include the University of Birmingham, Bruntwood SciTech, BAM Properties, Solum, The Institute of Cancer Research and Hyde Housing.

Founded in 1996, MGAC is privately held, employs over 170 people and is headquartered in Washington, DC with additional offices in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Toronto.

Mark Anderson, President and Founder of MGAC, said: “We quickly realized that RLF shares a common vision with our company and that there is a real opportunity for strategic transatlantic expansion. We have been in the UK for more than 20 years and saw RLF as the ideal company for us to establish stronger roots in the country and across Europe. Our expanded business will create an impressive organization on two continents that will help turn the most ambitious project visions into reality. We believe that by combining tools and resources we can add investment and energy to the UK’s aviation fuel business to provide more opportunities for our professionals around the world and better serve our customers. We are very pleased to welcome RLF to MGAC. “

Clemons said, “I would like to thank David Thomson for his excellent leadership over the past 10 years. David has strengthened our business in many ways and positioned us for the future. Today is an incredibly exciting day for RLF and we very much look forward to working with our new MGAC colleagues in North America as we move forward and thrive. The additional investments, resources, experience and infrastructure will improve our offering for our customers and expand our industry expertise. ”

Chris Barker, Executive Director of RLF, Midlands, said, “This announcement is an important step in our continued growth both regionally and nationally. There is a lot of cultural synergy between our two companies and the additional investments, experience, resources and infrastructure come at a time when we are carrying out several key projects in the heart of the thriving Midlands economy. It will help to strengthen our reputation as one of the most reliable and successful construction consulting companies in the region and to expand our industry know-how. We look forward to some of the most transformative projects in the Midlands. “