Labella expands reach with Chazen purchase
Rochester development company expected to retain all employees
Labella Associates has made its biggest acquisition yet in its push to expand in the Capital Region. The company announced it has acquired The Chazen Companies, which, like Labella, offers a range of services relevant to development, including engineering.
All of Chazen’s 179 current employees are expected to remain in their jobs. The company will operate as Chazen, a LaBella company, through 2021. Chazen has offices in Poughkeepsie, Glens Falls, Troy, New York City, White Plains, Chattanooga, Tenn., and Portland, Ore.
Terms of the sale were not disclosed.
Milton Chazen founded his eponymous company in 1937 in Danbury, Conn., where he was the city ’s designated engineer and designed the Danbury Airport. Chazen served in both
World War II and the Korean War before restarting his firm in 1947 in Poughkeepsie.
The company grew, and in 1986, Chazen’s son, Richard Chazen, and Daniel Stone became co-presidents and created The Chazen Companies, comprised of four separate businesses: Chazen Engineering, Land Surveying Co., Enviroplan, CSW Data Systems and Chazen Environmental Services. An expansion into landscape architecture, planning, environmental and safety consulting, construction services, and transportation planning and traffic engineering followed. In 2012, Chazen launched an employeestock ownership program.
“Like Labella, Chazen has been successful because of longterm client partnerships, fostered by employee-owners,” said Labella president Jeff Roloson in a joint statement announcing the acquisition. “An expanded footprint, new services in landscape architecture, land development and municipal code support and additional expertise in our existing offering are just a few of the reasons why we are
excited to welcome Chazen.”
Labella was founded in Rochester in 1978 as a civil engineering firm and began an expansion in 2009. Previous buys include Novus Engineering in Delmar, followed by Keystone Architecture and, most recently, Aztech Environmental in Clifton Park. Prior to buying Chazen, LaBella’s services covered 10 categories, including architecture,
environmental and transportation.
“Labella’s commitment to client service, excellent technical ability, and award-winning culture are renowned throughout our industry,” said Richard “Rick” Loewenstein, CEO, The Chazen Companies. “In addition, Labella’s leadership team prioritizes the core values that have guided Chazen, including
community, collaboration and growth. We know that our employees and clients alike will benefit from being a part of the Labella organization.”
Richard Chazen, now a senior principal at Chazen, said the firm culture of treating employees like family also exists at Labella.