Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc. acquires Eng-Wong, Taub & Associates

 WATERTOWN, MASS. — Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc., a Boston-based planning, design, transportation, land development, and environmental firm, announced its merger with Eng-Wong, Taub & Associates and its affiliates (Eng-Wong, Taub), a transportation planning, traffic engineering, and research firm with offices in New York City and Newark, N.J. This latest merger is the eighth for VHB since 2005 and part of its long-term strategic growth plan.

"We have enjoyed a working relationship with Eng-Wong, Taub for many years," said Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. President and CEO Bob Brustlin. "By merging our operations and New York/New Jersey area staff, our clients will benefit from deeper and consistent talent in addition to more service offerings."

This merger is a strategic step forward for both companies, said Brustlin. "Our deliberate approach to growth in New York and New Jersey has been to put all the right people together to create a very strong foundation of experience to serve our clients."

"Together, we are better than the sum of our parts," said Paul Eng-Wong, founder of Eng-Wong, Taub and now a principal at VHB. "With our combined solid track-records, strong leadership, and service cultures, we will continue to carry out our strong commitment to clients, as we have done in the past and now, with a comprehensive portfolio of integrated professional services."

Established in 1988, Eng-Wong, Taub grew into a 40-employee firm and stands out among the region’s traffic engineering and planning firms with its extensive work with more than 200 public- and private-sector clients. The firm has been a call-in consultant to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for more than 20 years, and worked closely with municipalities, transportation agencies, metropolitan planning organizations, and other public and private interests to solve the region’s most complex, high-profile traffic challenges. Their work on projects like the new Yankee Stadium, World Trade Center redevelopment, Second Avenue Subway, Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, Newark Light Rail, New York City BRT, and East Side Access will transform the region’s landscape and transportation network for years to come.

"I am delighted that we’ve joined forces with a firm so much like ours," said Marty Taub, co-founder of Eng-Wong, Taub and VHB principal. "We joined VHB because there is a great synergy and chemistry between us and a terrific match in skill sets that will benefit our clients. Plus, VHB has always impressed us with their dedication to client service."

VHB is ranked among the nation’s top design and transportation engineering firms. Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc. and its New York affiliate, VHB Engineering, Surveying and Landscape Architecture, P.C., provide services for notable projects in the New York/New Jersey region that include Port Authority of New York and New Jersey On-Call Consulting for Airport, Environmental and Financial Services; New York State DOT Construction Inspection Services; Stop & Shop Engineering and Integrated Services, Ronkonkoma Hub Transit Oriented Planning Study, PepsiCo World Headquarters Planning and Permitting, and Princeton University Arts & Transit Neighborhood Engineering.

The merger is effective Sept. 1, 2011. The former Eng-Wong, Taub employees will continue to work from Two Penn Plaza in New York City and One Gateway Center in Newark. Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc. and its New York affiliate, VHB Engineering, Surveying and Landscape Architecture, P.C., serve New York and New Jersey clients through five offices and 100 local employees in Albany, Hauppauge, White Plains, New York City, and Edison, N.J.

Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc. has 21 offices along the East Coast and headquarters in Watertown, Mass., near Boston. The firm employs a staff of 850, including planners, engineers, and environmental scientists serving public and private clients. The company is owned by its employees with 2010-reported revenues of $142 million. VHB has been named among the top 100 design firms and is ranked 36th in the nation in transportation by Engineering News-Record.