M&A Update – U.S. deals hits new record in 2021; M&A up 25 percent

390 U.S. DEALS

LATEST 12 MONTHS

25%

587* GLOBAL DEALS

LATEST 12 MONTHS

37%

*Including U.S. deals

Percentages represent latest twelve months year-over-year increase or decrease in deal activity.

M&A Update – U.S. deals hits new record in 2021; M&A up 25%

HIGHLIGHTED TRANSACTION

SEP 2021: Industry powerhouse STV (Douglassville, PA) (ENR #34) finalized its previously announced acquisition of CP&Y (Dallas, TX) (ENR #211), one of the leading transportation and water infrastructure firms in Texas and the South. Link to details >

Morrissey Goodale initiated the transaction and advised CP&Y >

COMMENTARY & INSIGHT

The industry is in uncharted territory. With 319 transactions thus far in calendar 2021, we’ve broken the previous full-year record set in 2019 – and we’ve still 2.5 months left in the year! Why stand on the sidelines? Join us in Houston this month and Miami next January for our Texas and Southeast States M&A Symposiums. Make connections with buyers, sellers, and investors from around the country.

DOMESTIC TRANSACTIONS

10/7/2021

One of the industry’s most innovative firms RESPEC (Rapid City, SD) acquired JDS-Hydro Consultants (Colorado Springs, Colorado), a multi-disciplined civil engineering firm that specializes in municipal water and wastewater engineering services.

Link to details >

10/5/2021

Engineering and design firm Olsson (Lincoln, NE) (ENR #76) executed a purchase agreement to acquire Wittstruck & Associates (Omaha, NE), a design firm focused on providing crossing and wayside signal design services to the rail market. Link to details >

10/7/2021

Halff Associates (Richardson, TX) (ENR #102) announced its intent to acquire Morrison-Shipley Engineers (Fort Smith, AR), a civil engineering firm with extensive experience in the public works, residential, aviation, commercial, and industrial/warehouse development sectors. Link to details >

10/6/2021

Braun Intertec (Minneapolis, MN) (ENR #114) acquired Edwards-Pitman Environmental (Atlanta, GA), an environmental compliance consulting firm with expertise in transportation, governmental, and infrastructure projects. Link to details >

10/1/2021

Multidisciplinary consulting firm Bowman Consulting Group (Reston, VA) (ENR #144) acquired Triangle Site Design (Raleigh, NC), a civil engineering and land planning services firm. Link to details >

10/5/2021

ENR's #68 ranked environmental firm, Apex Companies (Rockville, MD), acquired CME Engineering and CME Operations (Greensburg, PA), regional providers in civil, mining, water, and environmental engineering. Link to details >

10/4/2021

Coffman Engineers (Seattle, WA) (ENR #154) reached a definitive agreement with electrical engineering firm N.A. Cohen Group (Encino, CA) to join forces. The merger is planning to close in December 2021. Link to details >

10/4/2021

DIF Capital Partners (Schiphol, Netherlands) agreed to acquire Bernhard (Metairie, LA), the largest privately-owned Energy-as-a-Service solutions company in the United States, from an affiliate of Bernhard Capital Partners (Baton Rouge, LA). Link to details >

10/1/2021

Michels Trenchless, a wholly owned subsidiary of ENR's #28 ranked contractor, Michels Corporation (Brownsville, WI), acquired J.D. Hair & Associates (Tulsa, OK), a consulting firm known for its engineering services for horizontal directional drilling and direct pipe installations. Link to details >

10/1/2021

WestLand Engineering & Environmental Services (Tucson, AZ) merged with EM Strategies (Reno, NV), an environmental consulting firm that serves the development, industrial, utility, and natural resource industries. Link to details >

10/3/2021

Global technology, defense, and engineering group ST Engineering (Singapore) entered into an agreement to acquire all the ownership interests in transportation leader and ENR's #101 ranked design firm in 2020, TransCore (Nashville, TN). Link to details >

10/4/2021

Global design firm WSP (Montreal, Canada) acquired Englekirk Structural Engineers (Los Angeles, CA), a structural engineering design services firm with extensive experience in new construction and seismic rehabilitation. Link to details >

10/1/2021

Architecture and engineering firm Galloway & Company (Greenwood Village, CO) acquired JRCA Architects (Salt Lake City, UT), an architecture firm regarded for its design of healthcare, public works, and public safety facilities, as well as government and justice centers. Link to details >

10/5/2021

MFS Engineers & Surveyors (South Plainfield, NJ), a multidiscipline civil engineering firm, acquired GEOD Corporation (Newfoundland, NJ), a provider of aerial photogrammetry/LIDAR mapping, land survey, subsurface utility markout, and 3D laser-scanning services. Link to details >

10/6/2021

Project management and design firm Unispace (Sydney, Australia) acquired Downstream (Portland, OR), a global expert in experiential design that integrates interactive digital and physical experiences in global tech hubs, flagship retailers, major sports venues, and education spaces. Link to details >

GLOBAL TRANSACTIONS

10/5/2021

ENR's #20 ranked global design firm, AFRY (Stockholm, Sweden), acquired Zert AB (Lycksele, Sweden), a software solutions firm specializing in risk management and technical documentation. Link to details >

10/5/2021

ENR's #29 ranked international design firm, SYSTRA (Paris, France), reached an agreement to acquire SWS Engineers (Trento, Italy), a specialist in the design of tunnels and underground structures. Link to details >

9/10/2021

ENR's #16 ranked construction management-for-fee firm, Cumming (Los Angeles, CA), merged with Scollard Doyle (Dublin, Ireland), an independent cost and project management consultancy. Link to details >

9/30/2021

Commercial real estate services firm CBRE (Los Angeles, CA) entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Bovis Spain (Madrid, Spain), a project management and consultancy firm serving clients across multiple sectors. Link to details >

UPCOMING EVENTS

OCT 21-22, 2021

TEXAS M&A SYMPOSIUM

Houston, TX

The ONLY M&A Symposium that brings together leaders of Texas A/E and environmental firms with M&A decision-makers and investors from around the country.

Registration closes midnight Monday, Oct 11th >

JAN 19-20, 2022

SOUTHEAST STATES M&A SYMPOSIUM

Miami, FL

If you are an A/E firm interested in expanding into the Southeast through acquisition, or you are based in the Southeast and considering a sale or merger, this is the event for you.

Early Bird Registration >

JUNE 8-9, 2022

WESTERN STATES M&A SYMPOSIUM

San Francisco, CA

If you are an A/E firm leader interested in expanding into the West through acquisition, or you are based in the West and considering a sale or merger, this is the event for you.

Keep me updated >

M&A Advisory Services

To inquire about our M&A Advisory Services, contact:

Nick Belitz, CVA, Principal, at

303-656-6151 or

Email Nick Belitz >

Jeff Lookup, CM&AA, Principal Consultant, at 585-738-0667 or

Email Jeff Lookup >

Brendon Cussio, Principal Consultant, at 720-309-0704 or

Email Brendon Cussio >

Jon Escobar, CM&AA, Consultant, at

224-577-8595 or

Email Jon Escobar >

Executive Search Services

To inquire about our Executive Search Services, contact:

Lisa Elster, Executive Recruiter, at

508-758-0191 or

Email Lisa Elster >

Virtual Reality Services

To inquire about our Virtual Reality Services, contact:

Brendon Cussio, Principal Consultant, at 720-309-0704 or

Email Brendon Cussio >

Strategic Planning Services

To inquire about our Strategic Planning Services, contact:

Mark Goodale, Principal, at

508-283-9357 or

Email Mark Goodale >

Leadership Training & Development

To inquire about our Leadership Training & Development services, contact:

Mark Goodale, Principal, at

508-283-9357 or

Email Mark Goodale >

THE RECAPITALIZATION OF THE A/E INDUSTRY BY PRIVATE EQUITY

(The most downloaded episode of the Engineering Influence Podcast!)

Mick Morrissey, Managing Principal at Morrissey Goodale, visits the Engineering Influence podcast for its most downloaded edition EVER! to discuss the reasons behind the accelerating flow of private equity capital into engineering firms. Click here to listen.

2021 AE INDUSTRY M&A: MID-YEAR REVIEW

Check out Jon Escobar’s commentary about some of the most important M&A trends and highlights from the first half of the year in our 2021 AE M&A Mid-Year Review and corresponding infographic.

Congratulations to the over 125 clients Morrissey Goodale has helped achieve their M&A goals!

Click here to take a look at some of the transactions that we have assisted our clients with over the years.

Get your copy of the book that's revolutionizing the AEC industry.

Order today!

Mastering Lean Leadership for the A/E industry is all about helping current and future A/E firm leaders blow the lid off their companies. Start learning your way toward your goals and achieving outcomes you previously thought impossible!