by Brianna Crandall — July 4, 2016 — Consistent with its focus on becoming a global leader in corporate real estate (CRE) technology, JLL has entered into an agreement to acquire BRG, a recognized expert in workplace technology consulting, technology implementation, and space and move management services. The transaction is expected to close next month, subject to customary closing conditions.
JLL says it is changing the way that CRE technology will be delivered. By providing holistic, end-to-end technology and consulting solutions that support specialist software applications as well as broad integrated workplace management systems (IWMS), JLL will offer clients greater flexibility and choice, accelerated productivity and improved user experiences. This expanded technology offering, integrated with the industry’s best talent and global best practice processes, creates a new level of capability not previously available, says the company.
Greg O’Brien, JLL CEO, Americas, said:
Solutions to the productivity demands placed on CRE leaders have become increasingly harder to deliver. Our goal is to arm our clients with better data and new insights to help them make informed, strategic business decisions. Acquiring BRG helps get us there, faster, with experts who have more than 20 years of experience working with Fortune 500 clients.
According to JLL, BRG has built a reputation for helping companies successfully implement new technology systems, optimize underperforming existing technology platforms, and understand how to better integrate tools to deliver workplace strategies. BRG:
- Helps organizations optimize and align their real estate technology, processes, data governance and performance management methods with their organizational missions.
- Implements and integrates off-the-shelf IWMS technologies with an emphasis on functional alignment, user adoption and rapid time-to-value. It is one of the most successful IWMS integrators and has dedicated practices and expert certification in ARCHIBUS, Manhattan, CenterStone, IBM TRIRIGA and iOffice software.
- Provides program management solutions to execute workplace, space, occupancy, and move, add and change (MAC) projects, as well as asset management functions.
John Forrest, JLL Global and Americas CEO, Corporate Solutions, commented:
JLL has always been a leader in using CRE technology to deliver real estate solutions to clients. We are taking that to a whole new level. The BRG and JLL combination allows us to architect and implement the broad range of solutions spanning full-scale IWMS, specialist software applications like Corrigo or combinations of both. Bringing all of that together through RED, our state-of-the-art data and analytics platform, we will offer clients flexibility and choice for wherever they are on their technology journeys.
As a result of the acquisition, JLL will form a new Technology Solutions team that will be led by Traci Doane, currently president and CEO of BRG. This team will offer both stand-alone and integrated solutions with JLL’s other core service areas including integrated facilities management, project management and capital works, integrated portfolio management and brokerage services. The company’s goal is to drive even better overall productivity outcomes, and employee and customer experience, from clients’ corporate real estate portfolios.
BRG’s Doane added:
Ultimately, our mutual respect, collaborative cultures and shared, uncompromising focus on making our clients more productive and successful sealed the deal. We believe new and better use of CRE technology is critical to unlocking higher levels of corporate real estate performance. By working together with JLL’s global real estate services platform, we can help our clients achieve tomorrow’s results… today.
The acquisition of BRG is the latest example of JLL’s disciplined acquisition strategy which, since the start of 2015, has seen the company announce or close 39 margin-accretive transactions with a combined value of more than $1.2 billion.
JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated) is a global professional services and investment management firm offering specialized real estate services to clients seeking increased value by owning, occupying and investing in real estate. A Fortune 500 company, JLL has more than 280 corporate offices, operates in more than 80 countries, and has a global workforce of more than 60,000. On behalf of its clients, the firm provides management and real estate outsourcing services for a property portfolio of 4.0 billion square feet. Its investment management business, LaSalle Investment Management, has $58.3 billion of real estate assets under management.
BRG helps clients by designing and implementing integrated solutions to address complex workplace challenges. The company specializes in advisory services, technology deployment, and program and project management in support of facilities management and corporate real estate organizations. BRG trains real estate professionals about technology, including speaking at industry conferences and at CoreNet education programs. BRG is a global company with nearly 500 employees in more than 35 cities and on four continents.
