Menard USA Adds A West Coast Presence With The Acquisition Of Farrell Design-Build Companies Inc.

CARNEGIE, Pa. — Ground improvement specialist Menard USA acquired Farrell Design-Build Companies Inc. of Placerville, Ca. as of Dec. 1, 2021.  

With 15 offices across the eastern half of the U.S., Menard USA has added its first West Coast location.

“Farrell will be a great partner for Menard’s expansion on the West Coast of the United States,” said Seth Pearlman, CEO North America at Menard.

Tom Farrell will remain President of Farrell and added, “We are delighted to join Menard.  With the support of a larger group, we can now offer more services to our California and West Coast customers.”

Founded in 1999, Farrell designs and builds deep foundation and ground improvement support for heavy structures, parking garages, office, high-rise and industrial buildings, hospitals, schools and universities, water treatment plants and warehouses in the highly seismic regions of California. Farrell, a company of 65 employees, is a natural fit for Menard, adding to its 300-employee base.

“Farrell is an entrepreneurial company in a market which has both soft and liquefiable ground,” Pearlman said. “They focus on design-build ground improvement projects using techniques similar to ours in a high-seismic environment. Like Menard, Farrell is driven to influence the market, bringing value to their customers by expanding the application of ground improvement as an economical substitute for piling where appropriate.”

Menard is an international specialty ground improvement construction company based in France, and part of Vinci Construction. Menard works across North America and internationally, operating in more than 80 countries providing ground improvement services. Menard’s techniques include wick drains, earthquake (EQ) drains, Controlled Modulus Column (CMC)^® rigid inclusions, stone columns, dynamic compaction, rapid impact compaction, and soil mixing. Typical projects include support of warehouses, buildings, material storage piles, processing areas, embankments, roadways, port facilities, storage tanks, containment structures, and relieving platforms. 

Like Menard, Farrell safely delivers a wide range of quality services including stone columns, aggregate piers, rapid impact compaction, auger cast piling, drill displacement piles, rapid vibro compaction, micro piles and helical piles. Its trademarked services include both Auger Cast Column™ and Drill Displacement Column™ – similar to Controlled Modulus Columns (CMC)^®.

Farrell began with a dream by Tom Farrell, who aspired to build a company that serves its people and customers. From its origins as a general contractor in the 1980s, Farrell’s evolution, innovation and expertise as a leading specialty geotechnical contractor supports many owner’s investments in California. Farrell has delivered more than 20 years of ground improvement and foundation design, engineering and construction in California. Farrell says, “The Farrell motto Go Vertical with Confidence® is our goal for all of our customer’s projects and now we get to share that goal with Menard USA.”

Since 2005, Menard has expanded from its corporate office in the Pittsburgh area to offices in Baltimore/Washington, DC; Boston; Charleston, S.C.; Chicago; Cleveland, Cranford, N.J.; Houston; Minneapolis; New Orleans; Philadelphia; Richmond, Va.; Syracuse; Tampa and Wilmington, N.C. After decentralizing its regional operational management structure in 2018, Menard USA’s revenue has grown significantly to greater than $150 million in 2021.

“The bottom line,” said Pearlman, “is that we were not on the West Coast. Now we are – and we have a great partner in Farrell in this highly-active region of the United States.”