Thornton Tomasetti, the industry’s third-largest engineering/architectural firm, has joined forces with Weidlinger Associates through a merger whose goals include cultivating a broadly based global practice that focuses on innovation, research, and development.
The combined company remains based in New York, and will operate under the name Thornton Tomasetti. However, the Weidlinger brand is sticking with three of the combined company’s 10 practices—applied sciences, protective design, and transportation—to leverage that brand’s already established recognition among customers.
While the terms of the merger were not disclosed, the Wall Street Journal reports that this transaction will be completed through an exchange of stock.
Jim Kent, a company spokesman, tells BD+C that all of Weidlinger’s senior-level management team are staying on, including Ray Daddazio, Weidlinger’s CEO, who will serve as Co-president of Thornton Tomasetti with Robert DeScenza until the end of 2016, at which point DeScenza plans to retire. Two of Weidlinger’s board members will join Thornton Thomasetti’s board of directors.
Thornton Tomasetti and Weidlinger already have experience developing products and services for the industry. These include PZFlex, an ultrasound product for the medical field that emerged from a seismic shock simulation product Weidlinger had developed for the federal government in the 1990s.
“Combining our firms [creates] significantly greater potential for growth and innovation than either firm could achieve alone,” says Thomas Scarangello, Thornton Tomasetti’s Chairman and CEO. “Our more-diverse merged expertise allows us to address a wider range of client needs, while offering enhanced breadth and depth of services and extended geographic reach.”
A key component of this merger will be the formation of an R&D holding company to develop innovative products and services for the company, as well as for other firms. Weidlinger also has strong connections as a government contractor in both the U.S. and the United Kingdom.
The combined company has 1,200 employees working in offices in 34 cities. (There had been relatively little competitive overlap between the two firms before this deal.) The Journal, quoting company officials, reports that the company is projected to generate about $240 million in revenue this year.
When asked about the timing of this merger, Daddazio tells BD+C that he and Scarangello, who have known each other for years, had dinner during the Construction Industry Roundtable conference in Florida last October. Scarangello told Daddazio about his company’s plans for the next five and 20 years, “and a lot of those goals resonated with me, especially when one of the first things he said was ‘we bet the farm on innovation.’ This is what Weidlinger has been about, with applied sciences and pushing the envelope.”
Weidlinger, he says, had previously spoken with several other firms about the possibility of mergers, but combining with Thornton Tomasetti had the potential for being a good fit, especially after a dinner meeting attended by the senior leaders of both companies last January, which Daddazio says went well enough to lead to more in-depth discussions.
Thornton Tomasetti and Weidlinger already have experience developing products and services for the industry. These include PZFlex, an ultrasound product for the medical field that, Daddazio explains, emerged from a seismic shock simulation product Weidlinger had developed for the federal government in the 1990s. “That product represents a couple million dollars in licensing revenue, and could be exponentially larger, now that we have a bigger platform to exploit.”
The same is true of tuned mass dampers that Thornton Tomasetti has developed with NASA, which are also being applied to reducing movements in skyscrapers.
Daddazio, who has been with Weidlinger since 1979, and was its President and CEO since January 1996, holds a doctorate from Columbia University’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. In his new role at Thornton Tomasetti, Daddazio expects his immediate focus will be to make sure the integration—which both companies’ boards and shareholders approved unanimously—goes as smoothly as possible.
“We’re really excited about this, and making it work,” says Daddazio.
Related Stories
Building Team | Jun 22, 2022
Design for new San Clemente Marine Safety Headquarters would create new public plaza
A proposed design by HMC Architects for a new San Clemente Marine Safety Headquarters makes creative use of the seaside topography of the Pacific Coast.
Augmented Reality | Jun 22, 2022
Not just for POKÉMON GO anymore: how augmented reality is transforming architecture
By solving a long-standing communication problem, Augmented Reality (AR) is poised to make architecture quicker, nimbler, and more cost effective.
Healthcare Facilities | Jun 22, 2022
Arizona State University’s Health Futures Center: A new home for medical tech innovation
In Phoenix, the Arizona State University (ASU) has constructed its Health Futures Center—expanding the school’s impact as a research institution emphasizing medical technology acceleration and innovation, entrepreneurship, and healthcare education.
Market Data | Jun 22, 2022
Architecture Billings Index slows but remains strong
Architecture firms reported increasing demand for design services in May, according to a new report today from The American Institute of Architects (AIA).
Green | Jun 22, 2022
World’s largest commercial Living Building opens in Portland, Ore.
The world’s largest commercial Living Building recently opened in Portland, Ore.
Multifamily Housing | Jun 21, 2022
Two birds, one solution: Can we solve urban last-mile distribution and housing challenges at the same time?
When it comes to the development of both multifamily housing and last-mile distribution centers, particularly in metropolitan environments, each presents its own series of challenges and hurdles. One solution: single-use structures.
Libraries | Jun 21, 2022
Kingston, Ontario, library branch renovation cuts energy use to 55% of benchmark
A recent renovation of the Kingston (Ontario) Frontenac Public Library Central Branch greatly boosted energy and water efficiency while making the facility healthier and safer.
Building Materials | Jun 20, 2022
Early-stage procurement: The next evolution of the construction supply chain
Austin Commercial’s Jason Earnhardt explains why supply chain issues for the construction industry are not going to go away and how developers and owners can get ahead of project roadblocks.
Healthcare Facilities | Jun 20, 2022
Is telehealth finally mainstream?
After more than a century of development, telehealth has become a standard alternative for many types of care.
Building Team | Jun 20, 2022
Andres Caballero Appointed President of Uponor North America
Uponor Corporation (Uponor) has named Andres Caballero president of its Building Solutions – North America division and a member of the Executive Committee at Uponor.