Amentra Inc., an information technology consulting and services firm based in Richmond, has been bought by Red Hat Inc.

The purchase by the Raleigh, N.C., software and business services company, was announced yesterday. Terms were not disclosed.

Founded in 2000, Amentra has been recognized for its work, including its innovative mentoring approach to information-technology services. The recognition includes being named to the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 for three years running and the founder's winning the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Virginia and Washington last year.

Amentra founder and CEO Matthew Ernst said the company will continue to operate independently of Red Hat, and its headquarters will remain in Richmond. The company has roughly 145 employees and offices in Washington, Philadelphia, Charlotte, N.C., and Tampa, Fla.

No layoffs are planned and Amentra will stay under the same management, Ernst said. The company is hiring and expects to continue to grow, he said.

Ernst, who grew up in Berryville in the northern part of Virginia, is 35. He started Amentra when he was 27, just before the economic meltdown in the technology sector. He is a 1994 graduate of Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg.

Red Hat provides computer services to businesses through open-source software, a type of software that can be modified by end users to fit their own needs.

Ernst stressed the importance of Amentra's continuing independent status for the company's customers. "We won't . . . make different technology selections because we have an affiliation with Red Hat," he said.

By joining Red Hat, Amentra should accelerate its healthy business growth and expand into new markets, Ernst said. He said he could not comment on Amentra's revenue, but the company reported 2006 revenue of $21 million and in June projected 2007 revenue at roughly $30 million.

Amentra has broad experience with Red Hat's JBOSS software, which acts as a consolidator of information from various sources, including from databases running different types of software.

The consulting services provided by Amentra will help customers begin deploying the JBOSS products with confidence, Red Hat Vice President Craig Muzilla said.

Contact Greg Edwards at (804) 649-6390 or gedwards@timesdispatch.com.