ATLANTA — Serendipity is how IBT Enterprises CEO Mylle Mangum describes the recent merger of IBT Enterprises and Design Build Concepts.

The two local design/build firms have joined forces in a bid to better serve the financial services industry.

“Jim Givan, who is principal at DBC, and I had lunch back in November and it is interesting because what really makes successful acquisitions and mergers is the cultural aspect and the more we talked about everything from core values and customer orientation to the commitment to quality the more we realized how in sync our two organizations were,” said Mangum. “It is strategically and culturally an excellent match.”

From ground-up and in-store construction to storefront design and branch consulting services, the unified company is designed to appeal to a broader client base.

Mangum says the combination of IBT's expertise in design, construction and consulting for financial services and specialty retail, and DBC's design/build reputation in financial facilities, creates an organization with a combined heritage and professional experience of nearly 50 years.

“What's true for both companies is that our clients have consistently been looking for a company to provide the full spectrum of design, construction and consulting products for all types of branch formats and this merger provides just that service,” said Mangum.

She adds that with its proven processes for ground-up design and construction, DBC will remain the center of integrated, ground-up design-build services for financial facilities. IBT will continue to specialize in storefront and in-store design/build services and business consulting for financial and specialty retail facilities.

“It really is a win-win for not just our clients but the employees as well as our offices are literally within blocks of one another,” said Mangum.

The companies' combined portfolio consists of more than 3,700 design-build projects ranging from new main offices, branch offices and operations centers, to in-store and storefront design, merchandising, and construction, as well as specialty retail.

The IBT and DBC offices will remain at their current locations in Atlanta. From a corporate structure perspective, DBC will be integrated under IBT Holdings, which also includes IBT Enterprises, LLC and International Banking Technologies, a real estate licensing division. Jim Givan will remain president of DBC. Mylle Mangum will remain Chairman/CEO of IBT Holdings as well as CEO of IBT Enterprises, LLC.

“Both organizations share a mutual commitment to quality, innovation and exceeding customer expectations,” said Givan. “In addition to providing unparalleled services and expertise to the financial services industry, the merger offers all employees a chance to grow and be part of an exciting future.”

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