GFT Acquires Texas-Based Water & Transportation Engineering Company DEC

(Camp Hill, Pa.) GFT, a leading engineering and infrastructure solutions provider, announced today that it has acquired DEC (the “Company”), a Texas-based water and transportation engineering services provider. The acquisition will deepen GFT’s presence in the state and allow it to serve transportation and water clients on a larger scale.

Founded in 1945 and headquartered in Houston, DEC is a civil engineering firm with expertise in transportation, water, wastewater, and hydrology. The Company specializes in safe water and wastewater systems, subsidence projects, drainage improvements, program management, and highway design for federal, state, local, and private sector clients. DEC has seven offices in Texas and over 200 employees with deep technical expertise that help drive mission-critical projects across the state.

“While we have worked in Texas for decades, DEC will broaden our company’s presence in the state, deepening the services and resources we can offer clients,” said Bob Scaer, PE, GFT CEO. “DEC has an attractive client base and impressive portfolio of work that will enhance our ability to serve new and existing customers. DEC and GFT are aligned on the importance of delivering exceptional quality, being our clients’ trusted advisors, and being an employer of choice by continuously investing in our employees and helping them be successful.”

“Through this strategic partnership, our clients will continue to work closely with the local leaders they know and trust while receiving the resources and expertise of a larger engineering firm,” said Michel Maksoud, PE, PhD, CEO of DEC, who will join GFT as senior director of Texas operations. “Our firms have been in business for nearly 200 years combined, a testimony to the longevity and stability that comes from engaged employees, an innovative culture, and an innate dedication to the communities and clients we serve.”

GFT, a portfolio company of OceanSound Partners, is currently #26 on Engineering News-Record’s Top Design Firms list. This marks GFT’s third acquisition in seven months and is another example of its strategic, client-informed growth.

OceanSound Partners is a New York-based private equity firm that pursues control investments in technology and technology-enabled services companies serving government and enterprise end-markets. OceanSound employs a partnership approach, working closely with founders, entrepreneurs, and executives of middle-market businesses to drive transformational growth. For more information, visit www.oceansoundpartners.com.