logo image
  • News
    • People Moves
    • Deal Wins
    • Demand Drivers
    • M&A and Funding
    • Financial Results
    • Technology
    • Academia
    • Industry News
    • Features
    • Machine Translation
    • — Divider —
    • Slator Pro
    • — Divider —
    • Press Releases
    • Sponsored Content
  • Data & Research
    • Research Reports & Pro Guides
    • Language Industry Investor Map
    • Real-Time Charts of Listed LSPs
    • Language Service Provider Index
  • Podcasts & Videos
  • Events
    • Design Thinking – February 2021
    • — Divider —
    • SlatorCon Coverage
    • Other Events
  • Directory
  • RFP Center
  • Jobs
MENU
  • News
    • People Moves
    • Deal Wins
    • Demand Drivers
    • M&A and Funding
    • Financial Results
    • Technology
    • Academia
    • Industry News
    • Features
    • Machine Translation
    • — Divider —
    • Slator Pro
    • — Divider —
    • Press Releases
    • Sponsored Content
  • Data & Research
    • Research Reports & Pro Guides
    • Language Industry Investor Map
    • Real-Time Charts of Listed LSPs
    • Language Service Provider Index
  • Podcasts & Videos
  • Events
    • Design Thinking – February 2021
    • — Divider —
    • SlatorCon Coverage
    • Other Events
  • Directory
  • RFP Center
  • Jobs

Advertise on Slator! Download the 2021 Online Media Kit Now

  • Slator Market Intelligence
  • Slator Advertising Services
  • Slator Advisory
  • Login
Search
Generic filters
Exact matches only
Advertisement
Jeff Brink Files Lawsuit Against ULG and Private Equity Backers

4 years ago

December 12, 2016

Jeff Brink Files Lawsuit Against ULG and Private Equity Backers

Industry News ·

by Florian Faes

On December 12, 2016

4 years ago
Industry News ·

by Florian Faes

On December 12, 2016

Jeff Brink Files Lawsuit Against ULG and Private Equity Backers

Slator has learned that Jeff Brink has left United Language Group (ULG) and initiated legal action against the company, ULG’s private equity owner Northern Pacific Group, and Peter Offenhauser, a Northern Pacific partner. The legal action includes a so called personal injury lawsuit filed in Hennepin County, Minnesota. Jeff Brink is the Founder and now ex-CEO of ULG. Brink’s brother Greg Brink, a Senior Vice President at ULG, has also left the company.

The lawsuit was filed on September 30, 2016 and a motion hearing was held on December 9, 2016, according to court records. The records do not disclose the substance of the case.

Brink’s departure and the legal action against the company he founded and its investors marks another dramatic twist for an organization that has been through its fair share of change. Brink originally founded language service provider (LSP) Brink International nearly 30 years ago. In 2005, he sold the business to Minneapolis-based outsourcing services conglomerate Merrill Corp., which renamed it to Merrill Translations.

Advertisement
Jeff Brink
Jeff Brink

Brink went on to run his own consultancy, which he said in a June 2016 interview with Slator helped him appreciate the extreme fragmentation of the language services market and the opportunities offered by “aggregating high-performing companies” by executing a well financed acquisition strategy.

In 2015 and early 2016, Brink hatched a plan for a buyout of the language services unit from Merrill Corp. The financing was to come mainly from Minnesota-based private equity firm Northern Pacific Group. The buyout closed in the first half of 2016, Merrill Translations was renamed to ULG, and KJ International, a Minneapolis-based LSP, became ULG’s first acquisition in mid-2016.

ULG’s private equity owners and management look set to continue the strategy of growth by acquisition. On December 9, 2016, ULG announced it had bought Language Select, a provider of over-the-phone and in-person interpretation. Slator has reached out to ULG for comment on the acquisition.

Jeff Brink could not be reached for comment. Kristen Giovanis, President of ULG, and Peter Offenhauser, Partner at Northern Pacific Group, did not respond to Slator’s request for comment regarding the lawsuit as of press time.

TAGS

Greg BrinkJeff BrinkKJ InternationalKristen Giovanisprivate equityUnited Language Group
SHARE
Florian Faes

By Florian Faes

Co-Founder of Slator. Linguist, business developer, and mountain runner. Based in the beautiful lakeside city of Zurich, Switzerland.

Advertisement

SUBSCRIBE TO THE SLATOR WEEKLY

Language Industry Intelligence
In Your Inbox. Every Friday

SUBSCRIBE

SlatorSweepSlatorPro
ResearchRFP CENTER

PUBLISH

PRESS RELEASEDIRECTORY LISTING
JOB ADEVENT LISTING

Bespoke advisory including speaking, briefings and M&A

SLATOR ADVISORY
Advertisement

Featured Reports

See all
Slator 2020 Language Industry M&A and Funding Report

Slator 2020 Language Industry M&A and Funding Report

by Slator

Slator 2021 Data-for-AI Market Report

Slator 2021 Data-for-AI Market Report

by Slator

Slator 2020 Medtech Translation and Localization Report

Slator 2020 Medtech Translation and Localization Report

by Slator

Pro Guide: Sales and Marketing for Language Service Providers

Pro Guide: Sales and Marketing for Language Service Providers

by Slator

Press Releases

See all
iDISC Awarded ISO 27001 Information Security Management Certification

iDISC Awarded ISO 27001 Information Security Management Certification

by iDISC

XTRF Launches a Bi-Monthly Free Networking Event for Localization Professionals

XTRF Launches a Bi-Monthly Free Networking Event for Localization Professionals

by XTRF

150 Million Words Translated: the German EU Council Presidency Translator Sets New Records

150 Million Words Translated: the German EU Council Presidency Translator Sets New Records

by Tilde

Upcoming Events

See All
  1. Memsource MT Post-Editing Pricing Models Webinar

    Pricing Models for MT Post-Editing Workshop

    by Memsource

    · February 3

    Hear a panel of innovative localization professionals share different approaches for MT post-editing pricing.

    More info FREE

Featured Companies

See all
Text United

Text United

Memsource

Memsource

Wordbank

Wordbank

Protranslating

Protranslating

Seprotec

Seprotec

Versacom

Versacom

SDL

SDL

Smartling

Smartling

Lingotek

Lingotek

XTM International

XTM International

Smartcat

Smartcat

Translators without Borders

Translators without Borders

STAR Group

STAR Group

memoQ Translation Technologies

memoQ Translation Technologies

Advertisement

Popular articles

Why Netflix Shut Down Its Translation Portal Hermes

Why Netflix Shut Down Its Translation Portal Hermes

by Esther Bond

The Slator 2020 Language Service Provider Index

The Slator 2020 Language Service Provider Index

by Slator

Top Language Industry Quotes of 2020

Top Language Industry Quotes of 2020

by Monica Jamieson

SlatorPod: The Weekly Language Industry Podcast

connect with us

footer logo

Slator makes business sense of the language services and technology market.

Our Company

  • Support
  • About us
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

Subscribe to the Slator Weekly

Language Industry Intelligence
In Your Inbox. Every Friday

© 2021 Slator. All rights reserved.

Sign up to the Slator Weekly

Join over 13,000 subscribers and get the latest language industry intelligence every Friday

Your information will never be shared with third parties. No Spam.