Engineering firm QK acquires James Winton & Associates
QK will continue the legacy established by local businessman James “Jim” Winton as the longestablished engineering firm acquires James Winton & Associates (JWA) based in Porterville.
JWA was established in 1990.
Ron Wathen, the president of QK, said the transition has been going really well.
“I think the transition has been really well received by the community and the clients,” Wathen said. “James Winton & Associates had a lot of projects underway and it has been a joy getting to know all of the clients and all of the projects and getting up to speed with everything that James Winton & Associates have going on.”
The transition between the respected JWA and QK began in 2017 when Winton and his longtime colleague and friend, Michael D. Knopf, former president of QK, began discussing the overall needs and growth of the region, said Sarah Pruner Gunlund, the director of public relations for Jeffrey Scott Agency. Gunlund said conversations continued and more efforts were made toward merging JWA with QK to compliment both firms, its clients and staff.
“What came shortly after these discussions, no one could have predicted,” Gunlund said.
In December of 2017, Winton unexpectedly passed away.
“We know how important it was to Jim to ensure that both his clients and staff were taken care of,” Wathen said. “The plan was always for Jim to stay on as part of the QK team, to help with the transition. Unfortunately, Jim left us too soon — before the acquisition officially took place and was publicly announced.”
Wathen said Winton not being around during the transition period made things a little more challenging, but noted that Winton’s staff have been wonderful throughout the process.
“His staff actually have been really great in terms of helping us get all of the information we need,” Wathen said, adding that Winton’s clients such as Brian Ennis and Smee Homes, Inc., have been great as well. “The clients have been very patient and they have also been very helpful in going over project details.”
Some projects Winton had been working on include the Montgomery Ranch Development in Springville, subdivision work for Smee Homes and multiple parcel maps throughout Tulare County, among others.
After Winton’s passing, Gunlund said QK joined his beloved family and the Porterville community in celebrating his life and legacy. Gunlund said the firm began working with Winton’s family on the specific details of the transition Winton envisioned for his company and most importantly, what that meant for his staff and clients.
“Our primary goals in the details of this transition were to ensure we continue serving JWA’S current client base, while creating a smooth transition for JWA staff,” said Wathen. “Over the last few months, QK has been engaged with learning about JWA clients and their individual project needs. And today, JWA’S staff are now officially part of the QK team.”
Gunlund said JWA’S office location is now QK’S Porterville office, located at 150 W. Morton Ave. Gunlund said Porterville area native and resident, Jeff Cowart, PE, is the vice president of municipal services and quality control for QK and now manages the Porterville office.
Winton’s son, Michael Winton, who is an engineer with the Tulare County Resource Management Agency, said his dad, before he passed away, had been in talks with QK about a merging opportunity and was currently in the process of that.
“Then when he unexpectedly passed away we just kind of picked up where he had left off and completed it,” Michael Winton said, adding that the acquisition officially took place at the end of January. “Knowing this acquisition was what our dad wanted has made the transition that much more peaceful and smooth for our family.”
He continued, “QK is known for having a solid referral base with repeat clients — and when you’re from a smaller community, referrals mean a lot,” Michael Winton said. “By partnering with QK, our dad essentially was referring his clients to QK and they have delivered on that reputation with a level of service our dad would be proud to be a part of today.”
Gunlund said QK has over 100 employees that provide similar services and expand both capacity and depth of services to the already very talented JWA team. Wathen said there are six to eight individuals reporting out of the QK office in Porterville. Gunlund said QK continues to grow with offices in Visalia, Bakersfield, Clovis, Merced, Roseville, Denver and now, Porterville.
For more information about QK, visit www.qkinc.com.