Jacques Whitford to be bought by Stantec

Stantec of Edmonton has just announced an offer to acquire Jacques Whitford, one of the largest environmental consulting companies in Canada, based in the Maritime provinces.

The proposed acquisition is supported by the Jacques Whitford board of directors and should go through by January 2009 if it is approved by the shareholders and meets due diligence and regulatory approvals.

Jacques Whitford has its headquarters in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and specializes in environmental science, environmental site assessments and remediation, and geotechnical materials. The firm was launched in 1972 and now has more than 1,700 employees located in 40 offices, principally in Canada. The company’s gross revenue is approximately $230 million and its net revenue is about $170 million.

Tony Franceschini, P.Eng., Stantec’s President and Chief Executive Officer, explained the advantages Stantec hopes to gain by the acquisition: “Jacques Whitford provides several strategic advantages including: doubling our geographic presence in Atlantic Canada; expanding and enhancing our geotechnical engineering capabilities; creating a significant presence in Canada’s Arctic and Alberta for resource development environmental and geoscience assessments; expanding our capabilities to support the mining sector; and expanding our capabilities in air quality services. Most importantly, we have similar cultures and shared values including our focus on sustainable development.”

Bob Youden, chief executive officer of Jacques Whitford, said, “We feel Stantec is a very good fit for us and we see many opportunities for us to expand our services into the additional sectors that Stantec serves such as mining, water resources, commercial, and manufacturing.”

Stantec will be discussing the acquisition at its investor relations day in its Toronto office, December 2.

Jacques Whitford is ranked #112 in Engineering News Record’s Top 150 Global Design Firms annual listing. Stantec ranks #35 on the list.