WSP acquires leading Vancouver firm
July 8, 2015
By
CCE
WSP Global has acquired Levelton, a well known consulting engineering company with nine offices in British Columbia and Alberta.
Effective July 1, WSP owns Caravel Investments, the owner of Levelton Consultants, which has 215 employees specializing in environmental sciences, building science, materials and geotechnical engineering. Levelton also has its own laboratories to provide testing for construction materials, soils, aggregates, air and water.
WSP, headquartered in Montreal, said the acquisition will expand and strengthen its environmental practice in western Canada. David Ackert, president and chief executive officer of WSP, said the transaction will position them as the “go-to” environmental consulting firm in Canada. He said, “We also expect to generate significant revenue synergies as we grow our environmental and geotechnical platforms in Canada.”
Nick Davis, president of Levelton Consultants, said: “Partnering with WSP’s team of experts is great news for Levelton. We are happy to be associated with a team whose values are aligned with our own and reflect a similar dedication to excellence and strong client relationships…. As partners of an organization with a global presence, we believe that the strength of Levelton’s expertise coupled with WSP’s outreach will allow us to leverage our respective knowledge and resources to better serve our clients.”
The Levelton Group of Companies was founded in 1966 by Dr. Bruce H. Levelton. According to the company’s website: “It was a fairly humble start; Levelton’s first office was his dining room table and his wife Betty kept the books.” He originally concentrated on his specialties — process chemistry and chemical engineering, but soon diversified into corrosion prevention, metallurgy and construction materials testing. Since then the company has expanded into a multi-disciplinary firm.
Neil A. Cumming, former president and chief executive officer of Levelton, was awarded the ACEC/AFIC Beaubien Award in 2012.
The same day, June 30, WSP also acquired a company in Scandinavia. It acquired Faveo Group, a firm based in Norway and Sweden that specializes in the project management of infrastructure and energy facilities. The acquisition adds 400 employees to WSP’s workforce. After purchasing Parsons Brinckerhoff last year, WSP now has over 31,000 employees worldwide.
To read the press release, click here.
