North West nuclear services group eyeing US expansion
DBD Group, the Warrington-based engineering and advisory business, is to open two sites in the US as part of its expansion plans.
The firm, which has experienced five consecutive years of growth since hiring a new CEO in 2017, is targeting South Carolina and Richland, Washington State.
DBD Group provides engineering, project management and consultancy services to decommissioning and waste management projects in the nuclear energy sector.
In 2017, Thomas Keegan joined the business as CEO, following an international career in risk and advisory. Since his arrival, DBD has transformed its profits with five successive years of growth at a rate of 50% year-on-year.
Operating across the globe, DBD Group has increased its headcount from 30 to 180 over the past five years.
It is also planning to launch new capabilities around project delivery, supported by expansions across the UK, with a new office in the South West of England. Throughout its growth, DBD has been supported by JS, a North West-based tax and accountancy firm, which has provided strategic advice and consultancy. This has facilitated the diversification of DBD’s service offering within the nuclear sector, bolstering its position as a global leader in nuclear decommissioning.
Thomas Keegan said: “Working in the nuclear sector is an exciting and intense environment, and performing well requires resilience and creativity. That’s when we decided to expand the service offering of the business to maintain our leading position in the industry.
“Naturally with this came the need for a lot more support from a compliance and advisory perspective. This is where JS came in, they have provided strategic advice and guidance in providing financial support to facilitate our growth journey and turn our US ambitions into a reality. We’re now looking forward to continuing our partnership as we expand further afield.”
Steve Crompton, partner and head of tax at JS, said: “The core ethos of DBD is to be different, and the relationship we have built has allowed for an open and honest exploration of unique ways to support the growth of the firm, and we have seen it develop from strength to strength.”
