Stantec acquiring Calgary-based Norwest Corp.

Stantec has signed a Letter of Intent to acquire Norwest Corp. (Norwest), a 140-person energy and resources firm headquartered in Calgary, with offices in B.C. (Vancouver), Utah (Salt Lake City), West Virginia (Charleston) and two sites in Colorado (Denver and Trinidad).

“We are excited to welcome Norwest to our Energy & Resources business at Stantec,” said Stantec president and CEO, Gord Johnston, in a company release. “We are seeing positive momentum in this sector after a number of challenging years. Both firms were able to effectively manage business during the economic downturn, and we are looking forward to expanding Stantec’s geotechnical, geological, and mining work for our energy and resources clients across western Canada and the western United States.”

Founded in 1979 by a group of engineers and geologists who recognized the need for practical and impartial mining consulting and geological services, Norwest opened offices in Canada and the U.S. simultaneously and began working with mining companies on projects such as reserve audits, geological modeling, mine planning, financial evaluations, feasibility studies, and operations audits.

The company has maintained a long-standing involvement with resource assessment, and mine development in Alberta’s mineable oil sands working closely with clients from early development stages through to operations, and reclamation.

Norwest’s capabilities span the full project life cycle which includes drilling project management, oil sands geological deposit modeling, surface mine planning, hydrology, and geotechnical engineering.

More recently, Norwest has shifted its focus to partnering with oil sands operators who require design and construction of compensation lakes, tailings dam design, and on-site geotechnical monitoring.

Steve Cameron, president Norwest. (source: norwestcorp.com)

“Norwest employees are looking forward to joining Stantec and combining our talents to support our clients and communities,” says Steve Cameron, president Norwest, in the release. “When we first explored becoming part of Stantec, it was clear that our professional work aligned, and our company’s values were very similar … We are confident that by joining Stantec our expertise, paired with Stantec’s resources, will provide a positive impact to both staff and clients.”

In the Vancouver market, Norwest’s presence has assisted in the re-development of the northeast B.C. coal mining sector, and new metal mine development projects.

In the U.S., Norwest has established itself as the leading coal mining consultant with expertise in resource and reserve assessments, mine planning, mineral processing, water management and permitting, and due diligence activities.

Norwest has also supported international mining projects in eastern Europe, South America and China.