Engineering giant Parsons acquires Delcan

Parsons, based in Pasadena, California, has acquired Delcan, a long-established, award-winning Canadian company that operates internationally but has its roots in Toronto.

Delcan was incorporated on December 31, 1953 as De Leuw Cather Canada and one of its earliest projects was the first subway transit line in Toronto. In those early years it also worked on the Queensway Expressway in Ottawa and the Trans-Canada Highway in Newfoundland. In the 1960s the company was involved in the Highway 401 widening project in Toronto, as well as overseas in Ethiopia, Tanzania, Paraguay and Guyana. It worked on the Washington Metro Subway in the 1970s and expanded internationally. The company is mostly employee-owned, while Manulife is a minority shareholder. Today it has 800 employees working in 25 locations across the globe, including the U.S., the Middle East, and Hong Kong. It has revenues of $126 million in 2013.

Parsons, which has revenues of $3 billion last year is one of the largest transportation planning, engineering and construction firms in the world.

In a statement Chuck Harrington, chairman and chief executive officer of Parsons, said: “In addition to increasing our presence in Canada and other key strategic geographies in the world, the acquisition of Delcan continues the progression of our corporate objectives through the expansion of our transportation and infrastructure business lines and our suite of technology offerings. Moreover, the shared heritage of Parsons and Delcan combined with our shared values further strengthens the strategic and cultural fit of the organizations.”

Harrington added, “We’re enthusiastic to welcome our new colleagues to the Parsons team. They are innovative and technically savvy, and this combination will enable us to achieve even greater success.”

Parsons has delivered 10,000+ miles of roads and highways, 4,500+ bridges, and 400+ airports worldwide.