North Highland buys ACME Business Consulting in US
North Highland has acquired ACME Business Consulting, a US-based management consultancy with three offices in the West Region. As part of the deal – terms and conditions have not been disclosed – roughly 100 advisors will transition to North Highland. To reflect the change, ACME Business Consulting will over time be rebranded as North Highland.
With more than 1,000 consultants in 25+ offices across North America and Europe (including London), North Highland is one of the larger management consultancies of the globe. Through its membership of Cordence Worldwide, a global consulting alliance with over 2,600 consultants around the world, North Highland’s footprint also spans other regions. Last year the employee-owned business advisory, founded in 1992, was named the #5 best consulting firm to work for in the US.
To boost its presence in the US’ West Region, North Highland has purchased ACME Business Consulting, a smaller counterpart with 98 employees and $17.4 million in revenue (2014) with offices in Portland (headquarter), Seattle, Washington and San Diego. The new locations complement North Highland’s existing offices in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle, which will according to Dan Reardon, CEO of North Highland, enable the advisory to “further accelerate growth” in the West Region. “By joining forces, we are even better positioned to serve our clients with revenue-driving strategies and help them solve their most complex business challenges.”
In addition to the enlarged footprint, ACME Business Consulting bolsters North Highland’s management consulting offerings, among others in the field of organisational change, process improvement, program management and technical implementations.
Scott Demorest, David Kelleher and Peter Lizotte, founders of ACME, will each assume the role of Vice President at North Highland, helping to drive forth the business strategy in the Pacific Northwest. They will report to Bob Lamont, the regional head of the West Region. According to Demorest, the joining of forces will be able to “drive an even greater impact and differentiated experience, including an ability to scale to meet the needs of our multinational clients”. Commenting on the cultural fit, he adds: “North Highland is really a unique cultural fit. The potential synergies were apparent really early on. We are excited to be part of such a well-regarded firm and for our employees to now be owners of North Highland.”