Roots and all
KBGE, based in Austin, is acquired by Civil & Environmental Consultants Inc., a top firm based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
KBGE, a Texas civil engineering firm with ties to Oklahoma, has been acquired by Civil & Environmental Consultants Inc., a top firm based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
KBGE, headquartered in Austin since its start in 2011, has had an office in Oklahoma City since 2016. CEC, with 20 locations, said the acquisition gives it firm footing here and in Austin for expansion into the Southwest. Transaction details were not released.
“CEC established a presence in Austin in 2011 with a small office primarily focused on environmental, waste management and industrial projects,” said Ken Miller, president and CEO of CEC. “As CEC looked to expand its offerings in the Austin area, we felt there was no better way to do so than by acquiring KBGE’s complementary talent and expertise, which falls more in the traditional commercial real estate area — highrises, mixed-use, multifamily, single family, etc.
“The opportunity to simultaneously grow CEC’s presence in Oklahoma with KBGE’s Oklahoma City office made the acquisition all the more appealing.”
KBGE’s latest work here includes work on The Deck, a mixed-used project by Northline Development using shipping containers at 1001 NW 6; and The Campbell, a retail-restaurant-residential project by Rader Building Co. at Campbell and Jackson streets in Edmond near the University of Central Oklahoma.
Previous projects include work for Shoppes at Cheyenne Ridge, a retail center under construction by Neal McGee at 33rd Street and Bryant Avenue in Edmond; and what is now called Callaway House Apartments, 333 E Brooks St. in Norman.
“We believe our capabilities and our portfolio are a perfect complement to CEC’s existing offerings,” said KBGE founding partner Chad Kimbell, a Georgian educated at the University of Colorado.
KBGE will retain its name and operate as usual through the end of the year, but CEC said it will offer new services through the KBGE team to regional and national clients immediately.
“KBGE has been growing rapidly since it was founded in 2011. Revenue has increased by approximately 65 percent over the past three years,” said Dean Koleada, principal in KBGE’s local office at 4045 NW 64, Suite 415. “CEC is the type of company KBGE always wanted to become; through this acquisition KBGE is able to immediately offer the structure and expertise of a nationwide firm to its employees and clients.”
Koleada grew up in Edmond and first worked in Tulsa after earning his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Oklahoma in 2000.
“Through this acquisition KBGE will be able to broaden our range of services and offer comprehensive capabilities in service areas such as environmental engineering, oil and gas and solid waste,” he said. “For CEC, KBGE offers diversified services and local expertise, including deep knowledge of the permitting processes in Texas and Oklahoma.”
KBGE’s first Oklahoma connections were with co-founding principal Gabe Bruehl, who grew up in Norman and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering from Oklahoma State University; and principal Brian Estes, of Tonkawa, who earned a bachelor’s at OSU and master’s from the University of Texas. Principal Jennifer Garcia is a New Orleans native and graduate of the University of New Orleans.
“This partnership is an exciting next step for KBGE,” Bruehl said. “I’m extremely proud of the company we’ve built over the past seven years. We look forward to continuing to grow our expertise with CEC and offer our clients the highest quality of service available in the market.”