Original sentence: Kearney began as a branch of McKinsey & Company.The firm operated within the United States until 1964 when it opened its first international office in Düsseldorf
Edited sentence: Its history dates back to the early days of the management consulting profession.Kearney claimed record revenue and profit growth for the year 2006 (although as a private company these are no longer disclosed), and it was widely reported that the company paid off its entire debt to EDS two years earlier than planned.Kearney's "presence in the board rooms" of major global companies would provide "cross-sell" opportunities.Kearney’s revenues tripled in the five years after the acquisition.The firm achieved revenues of $870 million in 1996, hit $1.1 billion in 1997, and reached $1.23 billion in 1998.The rationale  was that A.The return to private ownership was widely considered a success in the marketplace