January 24, 2005

Halcrow develops North American business

British firm buys Yolles Group

By Patricia Williams

staff writer

The United Kingdom-based planning, design and management consulting firm of Halcrow has acquired Canadian structural engineering consultant Yolles Group.

The firm has offices in Toronto and London and a staff of 180.

Halcrow said the acquisition is part of the company’s strategy to develop its North American business and to strengthen its skills in key market areas. It said the deal brings new skills in building design and will strengthen its existing property business.

“We set ourselves a target of acquiring a well-established and highly respected business in this part of the world,” said Halcrow main board director David Kerr.

“I’m delighted to say that in Yolles we’ve found a company which exceeds our expectations.

“It’s a perfect fit with our existing property business. Yolles’s experience is second to none in complex structural engineering and I consider Halcrow to be very fortunate that they have elected to join us.”

Established in 1952 and named as one of Canada’s 50-best-managed companies for the past five years, Yolles is considered one of the most experienced structural engineering consultancies in Canada.

The firm has also developed a reputation for specialized services relating to facade, glass and blast protection engineering, as well as building condition surveys.

In addition to penetrating building markets in Canada and the United Kingdom, Yolles has also been successful in winning assignments in the United States, the Middle East and Asia.

Yolles president Andy Bergmann said the deal was strategic for his firm.

“We’d reached a point in our development where we needed to extend our reach and make more of an impression in other geographic markets,” he said.

“While we could have elected to do so by growing organically or by acquiring other companies, this would have required a great deal of time and effort and would have detracted from what we need to focus on as a service provider — our clients and our people.

“Halcrow not only provides us with extensive coverage worldwide (through its network of offices), but it also understands our business and can offer services to support our own and vice-versa. The combined Halcrow and Yolles expertise has significantly improved both our positions.”

While the deal was signed at the end of 2004, it was only announced last week. Founded in 1868, Halcrow has developed into one of the United Kingdom’s leading consulting firms. The company’s 5,000 employees operate from a network of more than 60 offices worldwide. Halcrow works in more than 70 countries. It is owned and managed by its employees and staff shareholders.

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