DOWL and OBEC merge, expand reach and services

Seattle — DOWL and OBEC Consulting Engineers entered into a merger agreement. The move comes after more than a year of developing closer ties and recognizing the advantages for the firms and their clients.

DOWL and OBEC share similar employee-owned business models, overlapping geographies, complementary skill sets, and core values that shape their quality- and integrity-driven cultures. Together, they will bring their mix of public and private clients an expanded range of services and a deeper bench of expertise over a broader geographic area. The merger also creates expanded career opportunities for employees.

“Both firms bring 50-plus years of experience to their respective markets,” said Stewart Osgood, president of DOWL. “Our clients will continue to work with the project managers they count on but can expect to see expanded service offerings.”

The combined organization totals approximately 450 people in 27 offices across Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming. DOWL provides environmental and land development, water/water resources, transportation, civil engineering, and geo-construction services. OBEC anticipates an active role for their transportation, inspection, survey, and environmental services, and their bridge and marine services will form a transformative new practice area for the combined company.

“This is a true success story,” said Larry Fox, President of OBEC. “We started as a bridge engineering firm more than 50 years ago. Since then we’ve evolved to help public agencies solve a wide range of challenges they face. This is an exciting step in bringing our expertise to a broader region.”