Industry-Leading Language & Translation Company Acquired by Holding Company to Expand Services Within the $50 Billion Global Language Services Industry
ATLANTA and MIAMI (June 26, 2019) – BIG Language Solutions announces its launch and the acquisition of Protranslating, a leader in the global language services industry founded in Miami by Dr. Luis A. de la Vega and Maria Cristina de la Vega in 1973. BIG was founded by CEO Jeff Brink in partnership with MSouth Equity Partners, an Atlanta-based private equity firm with substantial resources including $2.2 billion in assets under management.
BIG is disrupting the highly fragmented $50 billion language industry by assembling a portfolio of high-performing and complementary language service providers (LSPs), then adding significant value and leveraging synergies for the collective benefit of its companies and customers. The company is led by Jeff Brink, a 25-year language industry veteran, known for his leadership, innovation and success in building leading LSPs, including the Brink family of companies, and most recently United Language Group (ULG).
The cornerstone of BIG’s buy-and-build investment strategy is its acquisition of Protranslating. According to Brink, “Protranslating has long been considered a gem in our industry, and their leadership, staff, technology and operational platforms are foundational to our ambitious long-term plans. The de la Vega family has developed an impressive business and culture, and I look forward to working closely with Luis de la Vega and his leadership team.”
The investment in Protranslating is meant to fuel what is already in place. “The timing of a partnership with Jeff is perfect for our business,” says Luis R. de la Vega, CEO of Protranslating. “My family started this company 46 years ago and it continues to be successful because of our enduring focus on quality and customer service, but we thrive because of the thousands of people we employ globally who do remarkable work around the clock. This investment from the outside allows us to grow from the inside and build on what we have today.”
Protranslating is a best-in-class company with more than 1,000 people touching product each month translating more than 150 million words per year in 200+ language combinations to organizations across the globe. The team at BIG intends for Protranslating’s senior leadership, management and daily operations to remain in place. BIG’s focus will be on investing in and building on the foundation built by the de la Vega family through added resources that stimulate intentional growth.
“This acquisition allows us to build infrastructure and invest in technology with a capital partner who we find to be aligned with us on values, culture and work ethic,” says de la Vega. “These are important considerations for us given that we must support an operations team that is distributed across the globe, managing thousands of linguists, writers, interpreters and customers daily.”
Luis R. de la Vega will remain CEO of Protranslating as will the rest of the senior leadership team. Dr. Luis A. de la Vega, founder of Protranslating and fluent in nine languages, will continue to be active in the company’s operations and quality process. He will join BIG’s newly created legacy advisory board (LAB) to counsel on industry best-practices and stay highly involved with the larger organization, working collaboratively with other acquired business owners.
Concludes de la Vega: “We had been approached by several competitors and investments partners but ultimately chose to collaborate with BIG and MSouth. Three primary reasons stand out – the unique business model Jeff Brink has built, the cultural similarities between all parties, and the shared vision around the scale and focus of BIG Language Solutions.”
The acquisition of Protranslating closed June 21, 2019. The team at BIG and MSouth envision substantial follow-on investment including subsequent acquisitions, enhanced technology, and a growth-oriented infrastructure. BIG is headquartered in Atlanta’s Buckhead business district. For more information, visit www.biglanguage.com.
About BIG Language Solutions:
BIG Language Solutions is disrupting the language industry by assembling a portfolio of high-performing and complementary LSPs, then adding value and leveraging synergies for the collective benefit of these companies and customers. BIG is led by language industry veterans with a history of innovation and success and founded in partnership with MSouth Equity Partners. Learn more at www.biglanguage.com.
Protranslating:
Founded in 1973, Protranslating is an ISO-Certified language company providing a complete range of services, including translation, interpreting, and localization, in more than 100 languages for global and Fortune 500 companies. Drawing from a pool of expert linguists, using predictive technologies, and more than 46 years of experience, Protranslating delivers end-to-end language solutions to clients across diverse industries, including legal, finance, market research, technology, healthcare, manufacturing, retail, travel and tourism, and marketing. Learn more at www.protranslating.com.
About MSouth Equity Partners: MSouth Equity Partners is a private equity investment firm that provides equity capital and expertise to support management teams in acquisitions and recapitalizations of lower middle market companies typically valued between $25 and $125 million. Based in Atlanta, MSouth invests primarily in the South with a consistent focus on management buyouts of companies in sectors where the firm has significant investment, management and transactional experience. MSouth invests with the objective of increasing operating cash flow through growth initiatives and active ownership. With $2.2 billion of assets under management across four funds, MSouth is a successor to Cravey, Green & Wahlen, Inc., which was founded in 1984. Learn more at www.msouth.com.
