AEC mergers and acquisitions up in 2011, expected to surge in 2012

The pace of both domestic and global consolidation increased in 2011— reflecting greater overall confidence in the industry on the part of buyers and investors, according to Morrissey Goodale LLC. Morrissey Goodale tracked 171 domestic M&A deals, representing a 12.5% increase over 2010 and a return to levels not seen since 2007.

“We attribute this to continued confidence on the part of institutional investors and savvy buyers who see the industry fundamentals as stabilizing and the long-term trends as encouraging,” says Mike Cauley, principal consultant. “Specifically, they anticipate greater clarity around connecting massive domestic infrastructure development and rehabilitation needs with a public-private financing model.”

Given the continuing needs of baby-boomer owners to free up their investments in their firms, combined with the outlook for a continuing ultra-competitive environment for smaller firms, Morrissey Goodale anticipates the pace of domestic M&A activity in the industry to continue to rebound, yielding between 190 and 210 deals in 2012— an increase of between 11% and 23% over 2011. BD+C

Boyd R. Zoccola is Chair and Chief Elected Officer of BOMA International. A BOMA member since 1994, he has served on the Executive, Finance, Investment, and Medical/Healthcare Facilities Committees. An Indiana Real Estate Principal Broker and a board member of the Real Estate Round Table, he is Executive Vice President of Hokanson Companies, Inc., of Indianapolis, and has been involved in the development of $600 million worth of real estate. On a volunteer basis, Zoccola was president of Horizon House and a board member of Girls, Inc. He holds a BA in biology from Indiana University.