Investor Firm GISI to Acquire Hill International in $173M Deal

Purchase would expand global engineering and consulting for Global Infrastructure Solutions Inc.

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GISI says the deal will significantly expand its engineering and consulting capacity in the international market where Hill is a leading construction management firm, managing projects such as the Bahrain International Airport Modernization Program.

Photo Courtesy of Hill International

Privately held investment group Global Infrastructure Solutions Inc. (GISI) has secured a $173-million cash deal to acquire publicly traded construction management giant Hill International.

According to an Aug. 16 press release announcing the purchase, GISI will pay about $2.85 per share for the company, representing a premium of 62.8%, in the transaction unanimously approved by Hill's board of directors.

In its second quarter financial disclosures released on Aug. 9, Philadelphia-based Hill reported a net income improvement of $1.4 million and a 70.9% increase to its adjusted EBITDA compared to the same period last year.

The purchase is expected to close in the fourth quarter, transitioning Hill into a privately held company under GISI's design and CM business unit.

As a parent company, GISI's structure allows for its subsidiaries—which include contracting firm STO Building Group, GEI Consultants Inc, and The LiRo Group—to operate as their own brands, with added support and resources from GISI as needed, explains company spokesperson Gary Sharpe. After the deal clears regulatory reviews and closes, "Hill’s scope of work would not change," he says.

Hill ranks No. 10 on the latest ENR Top 100 Professional Services Firms list, reporting $386 million in domestic revenue and $189 million in international revenue for 2021.

The company's international program and construction management business will expand GISI's relatively new design and CM business unit to a global scale, says Sharpe. In 2020, GISI's deal to buy LiRO was the foundational transaction that launched the business unit domestically.

GISI President and CEO Rick Newman said in a statement, noted"[Hill's] uniqueness as a for-fee-only management firm, combined with its technical and managerial expertise."

Hill CEO Raouf Ghali, who is expected to stay in his role and lead the business, said by joining GISI, the CM firm "will be well-positioned to continue to take advantage of the opportunities the industry offers while concurrently enhancing the quality of our client services."

Emell Derra Adolphus has more than a decade of writing and journalism experience. He is senior editor of ENR’s Top Lists and Survey Rankings at ENR magazine and frequently contributes stories on technology, climate resiliency, diversity, equity and inclusion.

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