Interpreters Unlimited GlobeLink Acquisition Makes The News
The recent Interpreters Unlimited, Inc. acquisition of GlobeLink Foreign Language Center in Colorado was highlighted in a story by Slator, a renowned language service industry news reporting platform. The following is the beginning of the story written by Esther Bond, a Research Analyst from Slator. For the whole story click this link: https://bit.ly/2EVIw5s
Interpreters Unlimited (IU), an interpretation-focused language service provider based in San Diego, California, has acquired GlobeLink Foreign Language Center, a fellow U.S. language service provider (LSP).
Slator reached out to Sayed Ali, President and CEO of IU, who told Slator that the deal closed on August 31, 2018, and the purchase price was 3.25x EBITDA. Ali also said that IU was introduced to GlobeLink, an “S Corp 100% owned by a single individual,” through “a business broker who thought IU and GlobeLink were a good match.” There were no specific advisors on the deal since Ali has prior experience of M&A, telling Slator he has “acquired over 10 companies” in his time.
Indeed, the IU Group has expanded geographically over the past 11 years through its previous acquisitions of Accessible Communication for the Deaf, Albors & Alnet, and Arkansas Spanish Interpreters and Translators. IU now has over 100 employees working in San Diego, Arkansas, Florida. With the acquisition of GlobeLink, which has been renamed IU GlobeLink, LLC, the company is now gaining 36 employees and a presence in the state of Colorado.
Sectors, Services and Drivers of Growth
Entering another state was one of the main rationales behind the deal, along with the client overlap, according to Ali. IU and GlobeLink both service customers across Healthcare, State and Government Agencies, Health and Human Services, with an average spend of USD 50,000, Ali shared. 15% of IU’s revenues come from governmental contracts, Ali said.
Across services, Ali told Slator, the majority of IU’s revenues come from interpretation (approx. 70%), with American Sign Language (ASL) and translation accounting for approximately 20% and 10% of revenues, respectively. The GlobeLink acquisition also allows IU to expand its portfolio into language classes, training, workshops and proficiency testing, according to the company press release.
Broadly speaking, the company sees increasing opportunity among healthcare and government sectors in particular stemming from the rise of immigration and the prevalence of legislation around language provision for limited English proficient speakers. Another potential driver of growth for IU is the fact that ASL, which accounts for around one fifth of IU’s business, “is actually the 2nd largest language in the US,” the company press release said.
For the rest of the Slator story click this link: https://bit.ly/2EVIw5s
About Us
Making Connections Nationwide. Interpreters Unlimited provides comprehensive foreign language and American Sign Langauge services in the United States. IU works with every major industry including, healthcare, government, education, corporate and insurance, providing high-quality language services for onsite, over-the-phone and video remote interpretation services. For more information, please call 800-726-9891 to speak with a representative.
Media Contact
Marc Westray
(858)275-2582
marc(dot)westray(at)iugroup.com