Engineering Services Acquisitions in South Carolina

Strength Capital Partners closed a single-asset continuation vehicle to recapitalize ESP Associates, providing liquidity to Strength Capital’s existing investors and bringing in follow-on capital led by investment funds affiliated with Neuberger Berman. The transaction includes significant rollover by SCP and the ESP management team and is intended to fund organic growth and strategic add-on M&A to expand the platform’s geographic footprint and service offerings.

Salas O'Brien announced that Carolina Engineering Solutions of Greenville, South Carolina has joined the firm, strengthening Salas O'Brien’s mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) design capabilities. The acquisition expands Salas O'Brien’s capacity to serve education, healthcare, and government clients and enables the combined firm to pursue larger, more complex projects.

PBK and Craig Gaulden Davis Architecture have merged to form Craig Gaulden Davis | PBK, expanding PBK’s national footprint into the Carolinas and Maryland. The combination brings CGD’s regional expertise in education, civic and cultural design together with PBK’s large-scale education and institutional practice to broaden service capabilities and client reach across 31 offices.

CHA Consulting, Inc. has acquired Civil Engineering Consulting Services, Inc. (CECS), a Columbia, South Carolina–based transportation engineering firm with 85 employees. CECS will rebrand immediately as CHA, expanding CHA's transportation capabilities and presence across South Carolina and the southeastern United States; CHA is a portfolio company of H.I.G. Capital.

Carroll Daniel Construction Co., a Georgia-based construction firm, has acquired the assets of Greenville-based O'Neal Inc. Engineering and its subsidiaries Quest Site Solutions, InFab Piping Services, and Bridge Automation. The acquired businesses and personnel (adding over 100 engineers and support staff) will combine with Carroll Daniel's existing Architecture and Engineering groups to operate as Carroll Daniel Engineering to expand integrated engineering, procurement and construction capabilities across the United States. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Providus Capital Partners has entered a growth equity partnership with McMillan Pazdan Smith (MPS), a Greenville, South Carolina-based architecture and planning firm. The undisclosed investment will support MPS’s growth strategy — expanding service capabilities, entering new markets and pursuing organic and acquisition initiatives while CEO Chad Cousins remains in place.

Godspeed Capital has made a strategic investment in Infrastructure Consulting & Engineering (ICE) to establish ICE as a transportation-focused engineering and consulting platform serving the Southeastern U.S. ICE, headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina, operates 23 offices with more than 500 professionals and will continue to be led by its existing management team, which will retain a significant equity stake. Financial terms were not disclosed.

RMA Companies, a portfolio company of OceanSound Partners, announced the addition of Insight Group, a geotechnical, environmental, and construction-materials engineering consulting firm based in Charleston, South Carolina. The transaction is an add-on to RMA's national platform for testing, inspection, and certification services and expands RMA's capabilities and presence in the Southeastern U.S.

Bowman Consulting Group Ltd. has acquired Dennis Corporation, a Columbia, South Carolina-based civil engineering, surveying and construction management firm. The deal brings all 40 Dennis employees into Bowman, is financed with cash, seller notes and equity, and is expected to be immediately accretive with an initial annualized net service billing run rate of approximately $4.5 million.

Verdantas, a private-equity-backed sustainable infrastructure engineering and environmental science firm, has acquired Clemson Engineering Hydraulics (CEH) to expand its capabilities in physical hydraulic modeling and water resources engineering. The acquisition broadens Verdantas' geographic footprint and strengthens its service offerings to pump manufacturers, A/E firms, municipalities, and government clients.

SAM, a leading provider of geospatial and inspection solutions, has acquired Carolina Surveying Services, Inc. (CSS), a Lexington, South Carolina–based professional geomatics and land surveying firm. The acquisition expands SAM’s presence and client solutions in the Carolinas and Southeastern U.S.; the entire CSS team, including President Dennis Johns, will join SAM.

Universal Engineering Sciences (UES), a Palm Beach Capital-backed national geotechnical and materials testing platform, has acquired SUMMIT Engineering, Laboratory & Testing, P.C., a multi-disciplinary consultancy with offices across North and South Carolina. The deal expands UES’s regional footprint and capabilities in geotechnical engineering, construction materials testing, environmental consulting and special inspections.

Ardurra Group, a portfolio company of RTC Partners, has acquired Design South Professionals (DSPI), an Anderson, South Carolina-based engineering consulting firm focused on water, wastewater, stormwater and architectural services. DSPI will continue to operate from its Anderson office and the acquisition expands Ardurra's water/wastewater capabilities and geographic footprint in the Southeast.