Every day, Modjeski and Masters’ excellent engineers find new and better ways to best serve our clients and to improve the nation’s infrastructure. As we’ve grown over the past 122 years, we’ve brought on new talent to help expand our offerings and areas of expertise.
Today, Modjeski and Masters takes the next step in this journey.
I have the great pleasure to announce that we have acquired Summit Engineering Group, Inc. (Summit). This is the first acquisition in our company’s history.
The addition of their experts’ specialized knowledge in segmental concrete bridge design and construction adds another valuable service to our offerings. And, their proven ability to partner with contracting firms will help us improve relationships with both new and existing partners.
Background
We don’t take shortcuts to success. Throughout our history, we’ve remained proudly independent. We’ve focused on providing client service and engineering excellence while maintaining a sustainable growth rate.
But, as the industry changes, we must continue to innovate to remain successful.
Relationships with contractors have moved from being adversarial to critical in winning business. While we get high marks from our contracting partners, we felt there was room to solidify this expertise.
The same goes for our segmental concrete bridge expertise. Our engineers are fully capable of producing excellent and innovative designs for these structures, but it’s not what Modjeski and Masters was known for.
We set our sights on Summit Engineering Group because of their outstanding reputation in both of these areas. Acquiring their skillset was more efficient and practical than trying to grow it internally. So, for the first time in our history we are not builders, but buyers.
Benefits to Clients
While this acquisition is a big deal to us, it means just as much (if not more) to our clients. With expanded services, and broader and deeper expertise in key areas, we are positioned to offer clients an even greater level of service.
Summit is known for its work on segmental concrete bridges. Often, project owners will request design specifications for many types of bridges, segmental concrete included.
We now have the ability to propose solutions for these types of structures, along with our existing expertise in suspension, arch, moveable and many other design types. A project owner or contracting partner has to look no further than Modjeski and Masters to understand the best options for the project.
As our industry evolves, the contractor/engineer relationship becomes more important. Summit is one of the best in the business at successfully partnering with contracting companies. This acquisition allows us to leverage this ability and become a vital partner to contracting firms. And, if the trend of engineer-lead design/build projects continues to accelerate, having Summit on our team puts us in a solid leadership position.
Lastly, Summit’s western location greatly expands our national presence. Its Denver-area headquarters will become our largest office west of the Mississippi.
For project owners and contractors in the area whom we’ve had some contact with in the past, this means more face-to-face and personal interaction with our engineers. We now have a solid foundation in the region to cultivate and grow these relationships and help better the infrastructure of some of the fastest growing communities in the country.
The Future
So, aside from the improved skillset, expertise and geographic reach, what does this all mean?
Modjeski and Masters will still stand for excellence. Our focus will remain on designing great bridges. We just have more tools now to do so.
In the months to come, as we incorporate Summit Engineering Group fully into Modjeski and Masters, we will hold events to introduce them to you. When you meet them in person, we’re sure you’ll be as impressed with their culture, integrity and ability as we were.
- Barney Martin, Jr., PhD, PE – President and CEO of Modjeski and Masters
Welcome Summit Engineering Group to M&M
