Balfour Beatty, the U.K.-based construction company, continued its strategy of selling off non-core assets with its recent sale of Atlanta-based design services and project management firm Heery International to a subsidiary of the real estate and consulting giant CBRE Group.
The October 30 acquisition, for which CBRE agreed to pay an estimated $57 million (42 million British pounds) in cash, was completed today.
Heery was founded in 1952. Balfour Beatty bought a 50% stake in Heery in 1986, and increased its holding to 100% four years later. However, that ownership sometimes precluded Balfour from acting as a project manager and bidding as a GC simultaneously on certain projects in the U.S. Heery’s sale to CBRE removes any conflict of interest from Balfour’s U.S. Buildings operations, and allows it to partner with Heery on future projects.
In 2016, the latest year for which results are available, Heery International had gross assets valued at the equivalent of $106.1 million, and generated pretax profit the equivalent of $3.2 million. It currently operates from 19 U.S. offices with 535 employees. Its services include project management, architecture, engineering, interior design, and commissioning.
CBRE maintains the largest network of professional commercial real estate project managers worldwide. Its more than 5,000 specialists, including 350-plus LEED-certified professionals, oversaw projects with a total contract value of more than $42 billion worldwide in 2016.
In a joint venture with H.J. Russell, Heery provided construction management services for Phase I of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System's capital improvement program, which entailed eight new libraries (155,000 sf) and two expanded libraries (81,000 sf). Image: Heery International
Mike Lafitte, CBRE’s Global Group President-Lines of Business, states that this acquisition should advance his company’s strategy to expand its project management expertise. “Heery has a strong track record of client service with many longstanding relationships spanning decades,“ he says. Lafitte points specifically to Heery’s relationships in the public and educational sectors. This acquisition will also extend CBRE’s reach into such vertical segments as aviation and sports, and add capabilities and expertise in design engineering services.
Ted Sak and Glenn Jardine, Heery’s President/CEO and Executive VP/COO, respectively, will continue to lead Heery under CBRE’s umbrella.
Related Stories
Sponsored | BD+C University Course | Jan 17, 2024
Waterproofing deep foundations for new construction
This continuing education course, by Walter P Moore's Amos Chan, P.E., BECxP, CxA+BE, covers design considerations for below-grade waterproofing for new construction, the types of below-grade systems available, and specific concerns associated with waterproofing deep foundations.
Sponsored | Performing Arts Centers | Jan 17, 2024
Performance-based facilities for performing arts boost the bottom line
A look at design trends for “budget-wise” performing arts facilities reveals ways in which well-planned and well-built facilities help performers and audiences get the most out of the arts. This continuing education course is worth 1.0 AIA learning unit.
Affordable Housing | Jan 16, 2024
Construction kicks off on $237.9 million affordable housing project in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Construction recently began on an affordable housing project to create 328 units for low-income and formerly homeless populations in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Giants 400 | Jan 15, 2024
Top 90 Hospital Facility Construction Firms for 2023
Turner Construction, Brasfield & Gorrie, JE Dunn Construction, McCarthy Holdings, and STO Building Group top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest hospital facility general contractors and construction management (CM) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Airports | Jan 15, 2024
How to keep airports functional during construction
Gensler's aviation experts share new ideas about how to make the airport construction process better moving forward.
Adaptive Reuse | Jan 12, 2024
Office-to-residential conversions put pressure on curbside management and parking
With many office and commercial buildings being converted to residential use, two important issues—curbside management and parking—are sometimes not given their due attention. Cities need to assess how vehicle storage, bike and bus lanes, and drop-off zones in front of buildings may need to change because of office-to-residential conversions.
MFPRO+ News | Jan 12, 2024
As demand rises for EV chargers at multifamily housing properties, options and incentives multiply
As electric vehicle sales continue to increase, more renters are looking for apartments that offer charging options.
Student Housing | Jan 12, 2024
UC Berkeley uses shipping containers to block protestors of student housing project
The University of California at Berkeley took the drastic step of erecting a wall of shipping containers to keep protestors out of a site of a planned student housing complex. The $312 million project would provide badly needed housing at the site of People’s Park.
Giants 400 | Jan 11, 2024
Top 20 Convention Center Construction Firms for 2023
Clark Group, PCL Construction Enterprises, AECOM, Hensel Phelps, and Gilbane Building Company top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest convention center and event facility general contractors and construction management (CM) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report.
AEC Tech | Jan 8, 2024
What's driving the surge of digital transformation in AEC today?
For centuries, the AEC industry has clung to traditional methods and legacy processes—seated patterns that have bred resistance to change. This has made the adoption of new technologies a slow and hesitant process.
