Zweig Group provided due-diligence support throughout the process.
The HFW Companies (HFW), forging ahead with its vision of building a nationally focused “House of Brands” within the architecture and engineering (AE) industry, has formed a strategic growth partnership with Las Vegas-based civil engineering firm Taney Engineering.
Taney Engineering, which has provided civil engineering and land surveying services in the Las Vegas region and beyond since 2000, represents the seventh AE firm nationally to join HFW’s growing network of partner firms since HFW’s inception in 2020 and the third new partnership so far this year. Behind the scenes, HFW teamed with AEC industry advisory firm Zweig Group, based in Fayetteville, Ark., for due-diligence support in facilitating the partnership deal.
“We love working with HFW, and we truly believe in its ‘House of Brands’ model, which is a unique offering that will have a positive impact on its member firms, collectively, in the built environment,” said Justin Ramirez, director of Zweig Group's mergers and acquisitions team. “We served as an intermediary – a relationship manager – on behalf of HFW, making sure all parties were informed and helping to bring transparency to the deal, alleviate concerns, and facilitate candid conversations between the firms. We’re proud to be working with them.”
The new HFW Partner firm, which employs 75 professionals, offers a broad spectrum of civil engineering, design, construction-related infrastructure, and survey expertise for private land development and public works engineering projects. The firm also has gained local renown for its flood-control engineering and expertise in renewable energy, according to Michael Hein, AIA, PMP, chief executive officer of HFW.
“Taney Engineering is a tremendous strategic fit with our fast-growing network of AE partners, with impressive leadership, stable and sustainable growth, 80 percent repeat business, solid client relationships, and a reputation as the top engineering firm in Las Vegas for flood control engineering, among other strengths,” said Hein. “We look forward to supporting the firm’s many new growth opportunities in the region and partnering with our other HFW Partner firms.”
The Las Vegas firm – thanks in part to Zweig Group’s advisory guidance, according to Hein, joins the ranks of a growing portfolio of AE firms that now includes seven AEC firms with locations in Kansas City; Chicago; Des Moines and Waterloo, Iowa; Charleston, Hilton Head, and the Midlands, South Carolina; Augusta, Georgia; Austin, Texas; and Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Port St. Lucie, Boca Raton, and Sunrise, Fla.
All are part of what Hein describes as HFW’s “House of Brands” concept. That is, a network of growth-oriented AE firms sharing best practices, strong design focus, economies of scale, unique areas of expertise, and other synergies, while continuing to build their own legacy brands regionally and beyond. Zweig Group has been helping HFW in its partner pursuits.
“Justin and the team he leads at Zweig Group have been instrumental to our growth at HFW,” Hein said. “They help identify and introduce us to top-level architecture and engineering firms.”
“Partnering is the exact word to describe this model,” Zweig Group’s Ramirez said. “HFW’s methodology and approach are proven. The beauty of it is they’re not just saying it but doing it as well. Because of that, I greatly enjoy being able to discuss HFW’s model with potential partners, as it allows the partnering firms to continue to flourish in perpetuity.”
And that’s what has attracted the principals of Taney Engineering to this strategic growth partnership the most, according to Edward Taney, PE, president of his namesake firm.
For its part, the Las Vegas firm brings to the partner network its “private-sector” expertise in single-family and multi-family developments and “big-block” industrial projects, Taney said. “And we’re finding incredible growth with new schools, driven by bond initiatives, and even utility-scale solar energy projects.”
“We’re extremely excited about this partnership because it will greatly broaden our ability to grow,” Taney said. “We love the idea of being able to find symbiotic arrangements with other partner firms, cross-pollinating with their leadership to help one another grow collectively.”
Ramirez added that the partnering approach blends well with Zweig Group’s own “natural strategy” of forming partnerships through a collaborative, transparent, and efficient process.
Said Ramirez: “The HFW Companies is a brand legacy in the making.”
Zweig Group is the leading AEC industry advisory service provider, blending industry and sector knowledge with experience across the M&A lifecycle to help capture value. Zweig Group advised HFW Companies through the process of partnering with Taney Engineering. For additional information on our M&A services, please feel free to reach out to Justin Ramirez, Director of Mergers & Acquisitions, at jramirez@zweiggroup.com.
About The HFW Companies
Based in St. Louis, HFW is an AEC industry professional services company investing in architecture and engineering firms that serve metropolitan and infrastructure markets and are open to aligning with partners for growth. Its member firms, grounded in technical excellence, solve the most critical problems facing the built environment, improving communities through creative design, engineering, and planning. For more information, please visit: www.hfwcompanies.com
