Gannett Fleming Acquires Texas-Based Water & Transportation Engineering Company DEC

(Camp Hill, Pa.) Gannett Fleming, a leading engineering and infrastructure solutions provider, announced today that it has acquired DEC (the “Company”), a Texas-based water and transportation engineering services provider. The acquisition will deepen Gannett Fleming’s presence in the state and allow it to serve transportation and water clients on a larger scale.

Founded in 1945 and headquartered in Houston, DEC is a civil engineering firm with expertise in transportation, water, wastewater, and hydrology. The Company specializes in safe water and wastewater systems, subsidence projects, drainage improvements, program management, and highway design for federal, state, local, and private sector clients. DEC has seven offices in Texas and over 200 employees with deep technical expertise that help drive mission-critical projects across the state.

“While we have worked in Texas for decades, DEC will broaden our company’s presence in the state, deepening the services and resources we can offer clients,” said Bob Scaer, PE, Gannett Fleming CEO. “DEC has an attractive client base and impressive portfolio of work that will enhance our ability to serve new and existing customers. DEC and Gannett Fleming are aligned on the importance of delivering exceptional quality, being our clients’ trusted advisors, and being an employer of choice by continuously investing in our employees and helping them be successful.”

“Through this strategic partnership, our clients will continue to work closely with the local leaders they know and trust while receiving the resources and expertise of a larger engineering firm,” said Michel Maksoud, PE, PhD, CEO of DEC, who will join Gannett Fleming as senior director of Texas operations. “Our firms have been in business for nearly 200 years combined, a testimony to the longevity and stability that comes from engaged employees, an innovative culture, and an innate dedication to the communities and clients we serve.”

Gannett Fleming, a portfolio company of OceanSound Partners, is currently #26 on Engineering News-Record’s Top Design Firms list. This marks Gannett Fleming’s third acquisition in seven months and is another example of its strategic, client-informed growth.

Gannett Fleming is an architecture, engineering, and construction (“AEC”) firm partnering closely with our clients on some of the toughest challenges facing our communities today. We offer comprehensive infrastructure solutions to a wide range of markets, including transportation, life sciences, water resources, education, industrial, federal, power, and energy. Founded in 1915, we are the employer of choice for 3,000+ of the best and brightest in the industry. With a focus on making the built environment safer, as well as more resilient and sustainable, our clients seek us out for our expertise and prefer us for our personal service, innovation, and creative minds. For more information, visit www.gannettfleming.com.

OceanSound Partners is a New York-based private equity firm that pursues control investments in technology and technology-enabled services companies serving government and enterprise end-markets. OceanSound employs a partnership approach, working closely with founders, entrepreneurs, and executives of middle-market businesses to drive transformational growth. For more information, visit www.oceansoundpartners.com.