Black & Veatch Adds MJ Gleeson’s Water Business to Offer Clients Total Project Delivery

Black & Veatch announced the completion of the acquisition of MJ Gleeson’s water business. The UK-based MJ Gleeson has annual water business revenues of nearly $380 million, and the transaction more than doubles the size of Black & Veatch’s existing UK water operations, bringing added project delivery capabilities to clients.

“With these additional construction capabilities, Black & Veatch will now be a single-source provider of engineering design, process engineering and construction for UK water clients,” said Dan McCarthy, president and CEO of Black & Veatch’s global water business. “This is a new business model for the UK water industry that allows us to extend to all UK water clients our offer of a truly integrated, multi-disciplinary global workforce.”

With the addition of more than 900 new professionals, Black & Veatch now has nearly 2,000 professionals in its UK workforce to provide client services to the UK water business sector. Also, Black & Veatch’s total employment has increased to approximately 8,500 professionals across its global business lines.

McCarthy added that the approach continues Black & Veatch’s tradition of innovation and leadership and that the company plans to apply this new model to benefit clients elsewhere in the world.

Black & Veatch is committed to a rigorous growth program in its core business lines of energy and water; the completion of this agreement allows Black & Veatch’s global water business to move to nearly $1 billion in revenue, McCarthy said.

Len Rodman, Black & Veatch chairman, president and CEO, added, “Black & Veatch and water utilities around the world share an abiding duty to protect public health through the proper treatment and utilization of valuable water resources, the lifeblood of any community. With this vertically integrated service, we further strengthen our ability to improve communities and lives by providing reliable solutions to our clients’ complex challenges.”

In a related announcement, Black & Veatch outlined a new organizational structure with Bruce Ainsworth leading the company’s European water operations and Tony Collins, the former managing director of MJ Gleeson’s water business, in charge of Black & Veatch’s expanded UK water business.

“Our cultures and our business philosophies are a strong fit, and our services are complementary,” said Collins, now managing director of Black & Veatch’s UK water business. “As a result, we can now offer total project delivery – from concept through commissioning – to our water, environment and energy clients or any part of that service that our clients may require.”

Ainsworth, the managing director of the company’s European water business, pointed out the tremendous opportunities for Black & Veatch, for new and current professionals and for clients. “We’ve found a remarkably similar set of values and cultures that focus on providing a challenging, rewarding workplace for professionals and a high level of service to clients.”

Hal Smith, president of Black & Veatch’s construction and procurement division, added, “We are excited and encouraged about bringing these new construction resources to Black & Veatch as it provides us a stronger knowledge base that can be applied to all phases of our work across the globe.”

Source: Black & Veatch