RLJ Companies
RLJ Companies is a privately held American investment and business-development organization founded by entrepreneur Robert L. Johnson.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
RLJ Companies is a diversified American investment and operating company established by entrepreneur Robert L. Johnson in Bethesda, Maryland, in 2002. Johnson created the organization after selling Black Entertainment Television, commonly known as BET, to Viacom in 2001. Rather than concentrating on a single consumer-facing product, RLJ Companies has functioned as an umbrella platform for investments, partnerships, and operating businesses across hospitality, private equity, financial and insurance services, asset management, automotive retail, sports and entertainment, and gaming. The company's best-known business interests have included hotel real estate, particularly through RLJ Lodging Trust, and middle-market private equity through RLJ Equity Partners. RLJ Lodging Trust originated as RLJ Development, a hotel venture founded by Johnson and Tom Baltimore in 2001. It assembled a portfolio of branded select-service hotels and became a publicly traded real estate investment trust on the New York Stock Exchange in 2011. Although RLJ Lodging Trust developed into a separately listed company, it represented one of the most important businesses associated with the broader RLJ platform. Its portfolio included properties operating under brands such as Courtyard by Marriott, Hilton Garden Inn, Hyatt Place, and Embassy Suites Hotels. RLJ Companies has also pursued international hospitality and infrastructure projects. In partnership with Global Building Solutions, it helped develop the RLJ Kendeja Resort & Villas in Monrovia, Liberia. The 78-room luxury resort and spa opened in March 2009. Following the 2010 Haiti earthquake, RLJ Companies and Global Building Solutions formed Caribbean Opportunity Holdings to pursue opportunities connected with reconstruction and development in the Caribbean. In private equity, Johnson partnered with David Rubenstein and The Carlyle Group in 2006 to establish RLJ Equity Partners, a middle-market investment firm. The firm's disclosed investments included businesses such as CVC, a Latin American tour operator, Enhanced Recovery Corp., Fleischmann's Vinegar, LAI International, TMone, Naylor, and R. Thompson Trucking. RLJ Equity Partners acquired Naylor Association Solutions in 2014, expanding its involvement in association-management and communications services. RLJ Companies has additionally participated in automotive retail. In 2007, Johnson worked with Mack McLarty and Steve Landers to form RLJ-McLarty-Landers Automotive Holdings, the parent of RML Automotive in Little Rock, Arkansas. Johnson's reported 60 percent ownership made the venture one of the largest minority-owned automotive dealership groups in the United States. The company has also been connected with media and entertainment investments. RLJ Entertainment was formed in 2012 through the combination of Acorn Media Group and Image Entertainment after acquisitions by RLJ Companies. The entertainment business traded on Nasdaq under RLJE before being taken private through an acquisition by AMC Networks in 2018. Separately, RLJ Acquisition was created in 2010 as a special-purpose acquisition company intended to pursue a business combination. RLJ Companies is headquartered in Bethesda and has maintained or reported additional offices in Charlotte, North Carolina; Little Rock, Arkansas; Los Angeles, California; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Monrovia, Liberia. Its identity is centered on entrepreneurial ownership, minority-business participation, cross-sector investment, and the development of operating companies rather than on a single retail brand. Publicly available descriptions emphasize its network of affiliated businesses and partnerships; the precise present-day composition of the portfolio is not fully documented in the supplied material.
History
Robert L. Johnson founded RLJ Companies in Bethesda, Maryland, in 2002. The organization followed Johnson's sale of Black Entertainment Television to Viacom in 2001. Johnson remained involved with BET as its chief executive until 2006, while developing a new investment platform intended to operate across multiple industries. One of the earliest and most significant businesses associated with the platform was hotel development. Johnson and Tom Baltimore established RLJ Development in 2001 with six hotels. The venture expanded through branded select-service hospitality properties and later became RLJ Lodging Trust. In 2011, the company changed its name and completed its public listing on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol RLJ. Its hotel network ultimately operated across 21 states and included properties associated with Courtyard by Marriott, Hilton Garden Inn, Hyatt Place, and Embassy Suites Hotels. Baltimore led RLJ Lodging Trust as president and chief executive officer until resigning in April 2016. Ross H. Bierkan became CEO in August of that year, followed by Leslie D. Hale, who had become CEO by 2018. RLJ Companies expanded internationally through a hospitality and development partnership with Global Building Solutions. Formed in 2008, the partnership pursued construction of a luxury resort and spa in Monrovia, Liberia. The RLJ Kendeja Resort & Villas opened in March 2009 with 78 rooms. In April 2010, after the Haiti earthquake, RLJ Companies and Global Building Solutions formed Caribbean Opportunity Holdings to pursue development opportunities connected with the Caribbean. The company entered middle-market private equity in 2006, when Johnson and David Rubenstein partnered with The Carlyle Group to form RLJ Equity Partners. The investment firm pursued companies in a range of sectors. Its reported transactions included an investment in CVC, described as a major Latin American tour operator, in January 2010; a September 2010 partnership with Enhanced Recovery Corp.; and investments involving Fleischmann's Vinegar, LAI International, TMone, Naylor, and R. Thompson Trucking. In 2014, RLJ Equity Partners acquired Naylor Association Solutions, headquartered in Gainesville, Florida. Automotive retail became another major area of activity. In 2007, Johnson joined Mack McLarty and Steve Landers to create RLJ-McLarty-Landers Automotive Holdings. The holding company became the parent of RML Automotive in Little Rock, Arkansas. Johnson's reported 60 percent stake made the enterprise a prominent minority-owned dealership group. RLJ Companies also developed interests in media and entertainment. In 2012, its acquisitions of Acorn Media Group and Image Entertainment produced RLJ Entertainment. The company traded on Nasdaq under RLJE and operated as a public entertainment business until AMC Networks acquired it and took it private in 2018. In the special-purpose acquisition company market, RLJ Acquisition was formed in December 2010 to pursue a business combination. H. Van Sinclair was identified as its chief executive officer, and the vehicle traded under the Nasdaq identifier RLJAU. The supplied reference material does not identify a completed transaction or provide a current operating description for RLJ Acquisition. Across these activities, RLJ Companies has operated less like a conventional consumer brand and more like a holding and investment platform. Its reported network has included hotel real estate, private equity, financial services, insurance, asset management, automotive dealerships, sports and entertainment, and video lottery terminal gaming. The organization is headquartered in Bethesda, with additional offices reported in Charlotte, Little Rock, Los Angeles, San Juan, and Monrovia. The current composition of its portfolio is not fully specified in the available reference material.
- 2018
RLJ Entertainment taken private
[1]AMC Networks acquires RLJ Entertainment, ending its period as a Nasdaq-listed company.
- 2014
Naylor Association Solutions acquired
[1]RLJ Equity Partners acquires Naylor Association Solutions.
- 2012
RLJ Entertainment created
[1]Acorn Media Group and Image Entertainment are acquired and combined under RLJ Entertainment.
- 2011
RLJ Lodging Trust goes public
[1]RLJ Development changes its name to RLJ Lodging Trust and begins trading on the New York Stock Exchange under RLJ on May 13.
- 2010
RLJ expands private equity and international development activity
[1]RLJ Equity Partners reports investments involving CVC and Enhanced Recovery Corp., while RLJ Companies and Global Building Solutions form Caribbean Opportunity Holdings after the Haiti earthquake.
- 2010
RLJ Acquisition formed
[1]RLJ Acquisition is established as a special-purpose acquisition company to pursue a business combination.
- 2009
RLJ Kendeja Resort & Villas opens
[1]The 78-room RLJ Kendeja Resort & Villas opens in Monrovia, Liberia.
- 2008
Liberia resort partnership launched
[1]RLJ Companies and Global Building Solutions form a partnership to develop a luxury resort and spa in Monrovia, Liberia.
- 2007
Automotive holding company created
[1]Johnson, Mack McLarty, and Steve Landers establish RLJ-McLarty-Landers Automotive Holdings.
- 2006
RLJ Equity Partners formed
[1]Johnson, David Rubenstein, and The Carlyle Group create RLJ Equity Partners as a middle-market private-equity firm.
Products and positioning
A diversified, entrepreneur-led investment and operating platform focused on hospitality, middle-market private equity, automotive retail, media and entertainment, and selected financial and international-development ventures.
Hospitality real estate · 2001
RLJ Lodging Trust
A hotel real estate investment platform that began as RLJ Development, was founded by Robert L. Johnson and Tom Baltimore, and later became a publicly traded REIT. Its portfolio included select-service and extended-stay properties operating under major international hotel flags, including Courtyard by Marriott, Hilton Garden Inn, Hyatt Place, and Embassy Suites Hotels.
Private equity · 2006
RLJ Equity Partners
A middle-market private-equity firm created by Robert L. Johnson, David Rubenstein, and The Carlyle Group. Its reported portfolio and transactions covered tourism, recovery services, industrial businesses, communications, association services, food ingredients, and trucking.
Automotive retail · 2007
RLJ-McLarty-Landers Automotive Holdings
An automotive dealership holding company formed by Robert L. Johnson, Mack McLarty, and Steve Landers. It served as the parent company of RML Automotive in Little Rock, Arkansas, and was described as a major minority-owned dealership group.
Resort hospitality · 2009
RLJ Kendeja Resort & Villas
A 78-room luxury resort and spa in Monrovia, Liberia, developed through a partnership between RLJ Companies and Global Building Solutions. It opened in March 2009.
Media and entertainment · 2012
RLJ Entertainment
A media and entertainment company formed in 2012 through the combination of Acorn Media Group and Image Entertainment. It traded on Nasdaq under RLJE before AMC Networks acquired it and took it private in 2018.
Brand decisions
2018
Exit from public entertainment ownershipM&ABackground
RLJ Entertainment was a publicly traded media business within the RLJ network.
Action taken
AMC Networks acquired RLJ Entertainment and took the company private.
Aftermath
RLJ Entertainment ceased to be an independently Nasdaq-listed public company.
2012
Combine Acorn Media Group and Image EntertainmentM&ABackground
RLJ Companies pursued a larger presence in media distribution and entertainment.
Action taken
The company acquired Acorn Media Group and Image Entertainment and combined them as RLJ Entertainment.
Aftermath
RLJ Entertainment operated as a Nasdaq-listed company until its acquisition by AMC Networks in 2018.
2011
List RLJ Lodging TrustStrategyBackground
RLJ Development had expanded its hotel platform and pursued a public real estate structure.
Action taken
The business changed its name to RLJ Lodging Trust and listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
Aftermath
RLJ Lodging Trust operated as a separately listed hotel REIT with a portfolio spanning multiple U.S. states.
2006
Enter middle-market private equityStrategyBackground
RLJ Companies sought to broaden beyond hospitality and entrepreneurial operating businesses after its formation.
Action taken
Robert L. Johnson partnered with David Rubenstein and The Carlyle Group to establish RLJ Equity Partners.
Aftermath
The firm subsequently reported investments across tourism, recovery services, industrial businesses, communications, association services, food ingredients, and trucking.
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