June 28, 2019
Ross & Baruzzini has acquired COMgroup, Inc. The acquisition expands Ross & Baruzzini’s current technology service offerings deeper into the western U.S., now anchored by our new office in the Seattle area.
COMgroup has been in business since 1985 and is a widely respected independent telecommunications consulting firm. The firm serves both public and private sector clients and offers state-of-the-art communications consulting, infrastructure design and planning, operational process improvement and project management.
Craig Toder, chairman of Ross & Baruzzini, commented: “The COMgroup acquisition is strategic for us in two ways: it allows us to better serve our domestic and international clients who are based in the Pacific Northwest at the center of the global technology world and it gives us the opportunity to introduce our other areas of specialization in the transportation, healthcare and government markets. We’re excited about the potential.”
J.R. Simmons, president of COMgroup, said the acquisition will benefit COMgroup’s clients and employees. “We are excited to combine our resources with that of Ross & Baruzzini. Our partnership will expand and enhance the capabilities and expertise available to our clients, with the additional resources significantly increasing the value of the services we provide. It will also offer added growth opportunities for our employees."
COMgroup will become a division of Ross & Baruzzini and immediately partner with EDI, Ross & Baruzzini’s technology division, to integrate operations. Simmons will collaborate with William H. Overturf, III, Ross & Baruzzini president, and EDI managing principal, Mark McComb, to incorporate the COMgroup into the Ross & Baruzzini organization.
Overturf remarked: “From the beginning of our discussions, we were attracted by the natural synergies that exist between our firm and COMgroup, enhancing our deep focus on Technology. COMGroup’s clients will continue to work with COMgroup staff, further complemented by Ross & Baruzzini and EDI’s multi-disciplinary expertise. We look forward to the opportunity to extend the full spectrum of our joint capabilities to new clients across the country.”
McComb added that the relationship is not new. “We have worked together to serve clients for the past few years, and we look forward to offering clients an expanded footprint throughout the western U.S. and an even greater range of value-added services as a result of the acquisition. We are pleased to welcome everyone at COMgroup to the Ross & Baruzzini team.”
Ross & Baruzzini, which has 350 employees, executes projects in more than 30 countries and operates from headquarters in St. Louis with offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Miami, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, Kansas City, New York, Hamden, Conn., and Mexico City, with staff in Dubai and Saudi Arabia. In 2019 the firm has been named a “best place to work” by the St. Louis Business Journal and a recurring Zweig Hot List company for fastest growing design firms in the U.S.
The acquisition marks another expansion in the company's growing business across the U.S. and overseas. The COMgroup acquisition is the fifth consummated by Ross & Baruzzini since 2016.
Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
