Driven by the growth in the Triangle’s life sciences industry, a local project management firm that specializes in pharmaceuticals and life sciences companies has joined forces with an international firm.

Cumming Group, a New York-based construction management firm with a new office in downtown Raleigh, has acquired RGD Project Management Inc., based in Cary.  

RGD currently has 81 employees and has been in operation since 1999. Michael Rafetto, co-founder and president at RGD, said talks with Cumming Group began about six months ago. 

“They had a similar mindset to how they treat employees and clients, how they had similar visions, and we just believe that their strengths could make us broaden our services,” Rafetto said of Cumming Group. “It didn’t take long for us to realize that it was the right way to go.”  

The firms declined to disclose financial details of the deal. RGD will eventually rebrand to “RGD, a Cumming Group company.” 

Kevin Klein, who leads the advanced technology division at Cumming Group, said that although talks began six months ago, he and his team had been following RGD for far longer and were aware of RGD’s reputation in the area. RGD will be joining Cumming Group’s advanced technology team, which focuses on life sciences, semiconductors, advanced manufacturing and data centers.  

“We’ve had a lot of requests from our clients who moved to the area to provide services and support for them, and we really needed a local presence there. These guys are the absolute best,” Klein said of RGD. 

The growth in life sciences in and around the Triangle was a major factor in Cumming Group and RGD teaming up, as companies from startups to large manufacturers continue to set up operations here. 

“We have long-term relationships with blue-chip clients in this area, and we felt that the Cumming Group would allow us to provide a larger platform for our employees to grow and for us to grow the company and provide our clients with a better and larger array of services,” said Jack Deloso, co-founder and CEO of RGD.  

The Cumming Group has moved into its new 7,000-square-foot office in downtown Raleigh’s 400H building and celebrated with an open house on May 14. RGD will retain its office footprint in Cary, located at 51 Kilmayne Drive. 

Cumming Group’s projects in the area include Red Hat Amphitheater’s relocation and the Raleigh Convention Center expansion. RGD’s clients include some of the largest life sciences projects in the area and have completed more than 2,200 projects for pharmaceutical and biotech companies. Biogen, Fujifilm Diosynth and Novartis are just a few of RGD’s clients listed on its website.   

Cumming Group’s 2025 revenue was $770 million, while RGD’s was $36 million.