Santa Barbara-based civil engineering firm Penfield & Smith has signed a letter of intent to be acquired by Stantec, an international consulting and design firm based in North America.
The transaction takes effect in October, according to Stantec.
Penfield & Smith has about 90 employees in its California offices, which include Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, Camarillo and Lancaster.
Stantec wants to boost its presence on the Central Coast, president/CEO Bob Gomes said in a statement.
“California is an important market for our firm, and Penfield & Smith strengthens our community development presence in the state with talented practitioners that share our passion for serving clients through exceptional work,” he said.
Penfield & Smith’s portfolio includes many major and visible Santa Barbara-area projects such as UC Santa Barbara Sierra Madre family housing, the Shoreline Drive bike path and the Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital expansion.
By joining Stantec, Penfield & Smith will have more combined creativity to apply to clients, the firm said in a statement.
“Our reputation in integrated engineering, surveying, traffic, planning, and construction management services and Stantec’s global strength, knowledge, and relationships, allow us to go anywhere and meet our clients’ needs in more creative, personalized ways,” the firm stated on its website.
President/CEO Hady Izadpanah added: “We’re proud of the heritage we’ve steadily built in the surrounding California communities and we’re inspired to increase support to our local clients through Stantec’s global network, while creating new experiences for our team members.”
Penfield & Smith was founded in Santa Barbara in 1946 and offers engineering, traffic, planning and construction management services to public and private clients.
Stantec, a publicly-traded company, has 14,000 employees working in more than 230 international locations, including 1,000 employees in California.
— Noozhawk news editor Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.