Consistent with its focus on becoming a global leader in Corporate Real Estate (CRE) technology, JLL (NYSE: 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 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.

"Solutions to the productivity demands placed on CRE leaders have become increasingly harder to deliver," said Greg O'Brien, JLL CEO, Americas. "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."

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.

"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," said John Forrest, JLL Global & Americas CEO, Corporate Solutions. "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 facility management, project management and capital works, integrated portfolio management and brokerage services. The goal is to drive even better overall productivity outcomes, and employee and customer experience, from clients' corporate real estate portfolios.

"Ultimately, our mutual respect, collaborative cultures and shared, uncompromising focus on making our clients more productive and successful sealed the deal," said Doane. "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.