KippsDeSanto & Co. Advises JBS International, Inc. on its Sale to BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina

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KippsDeSanto & Co. is pleased to announce the sale of our client, JBS International, Inc. (“JBS” or the “Company”) to BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina (“BCBSSC”).

Headquartered in Rockville, MD, JBS is a provider of public health and social impact solutions focused on projects in support of critical Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) and other civilian agency, state government, and non-profit programs that enhance and protect the health and well-being of individuals and populations.  JBS plays a leading role in programs that are driving change in areas such as addiction and recovery, children and families, health IT, public health, workforce and education, and international development.  The Company provides a combination of consulting, professional, and information technology (“IT”) services to deliver innovative solutions for policy and program development, communications and integrated marketing, strategic planning, and survey research and evaluation.

BCBSSC, one of the most successful and respected BlueCross BlueShield plans in the country, acquired JBS in order to expand the capabilities and customer reach of The Celerian Group.  The Celerian Group is a portfolio of healthcare companies owned by BCBSSC, representing over 5,000 dedicated and trusted employees, that supports healthcare administration for the Federal government.

We believe this transaction demonstrates several key trends in the government and healthcare M&A environment:

  • Deep domain and subject matter expertise, particularly when coupled with long-term relationships, are critical differentiators for sellers in a crowded M&A market
  • Companies at the forefront of growing national and international health crises, such as the opioid epidemic, represent opportunities to achieve positive impact on multiple levels (the so-called “double bottom line”).
  • The marketplace remains bullish for companies that are positioned with prime contracts that are aligned with well-funded requirements and procurement opportunities within federal healthcare

 

Press Release

 

The Celerian Group Acquires JBS International

November 8, 2017 – The Celerian Group, an organization of companies that provides various administrative, information technology, training and program management services to state and federal government agencies, and a division of BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, recently acquired JBS International Inc., a Maryland-based organization. The acquisition adds expertise that complements the organization’s existing capabilities and expands the Celerian Group’s ability to offer even more wide-ranging, comprehensive technology and business management services to both the public and private sectors.

JBS has more than 30-years-experience providing a broad range of social science research, technical assistance and other mission execution services to the public sector. It specializes in addressing health and social challenges such as opioid addiction, HIV infection, immigration, education and issues related to aging. It also focuses on emerging trends in training medical providers, health systems reform, public health data exchanges, public health, behavioral health, social science research and information technology services.

Moreover, it has built its reputation on a broad offering of services such as data analytics, business process development, performance management, and strategic communications and creative services, including web and mobile development.

According to Bruce Hughes, president of the Celerian Group, strategic acquisitions such as this one demonstrate a commitment to exceptional customer value. He said, “Our customers come to us with complex business needs. Being able to more fully address those needs through one trusted business partner is cost-saving, simplifies the process and creates peace of mind that details are front and center.”

JBS will continue to be led by its co-founders and co-CEOs, Gail Bassin and Jerri Shaw. The company has 315 employees and will operate from its headquarters in North Bethesda, Maryland, as well as maintaining existing offices in Burlingame, California and Atlanta, Georgia.

About Celerian Group

Celerian Group is an organization of companies with more than 50 years’ combined experience in government programs administration and is a division of BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina. The group has a well-established reputation for operational excellence, which optimizes performance and reduces costs, thus delivering exceptional value for its customers. It provides federal and state government agencies, as well as private companies, support in business process outsourcing, information technology, data analytics, training and project management services. This expertise includes information technology, claims processing, customer services and social science research functions.