Dive Brief:
- Amid an uptick in deal activity across construction, New York City-based construction cost consulting firm Cumming Group announced Oct. 30 it has acquired LeftField, a project management consulting firm. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.
- The merger will double Cumming Group’s size in the region and strengthen its ability to serve both public and private clients in the Northeast, according to the firm. The addition of LeftField’s 60-plus personnel expands Cumming Group’s headcount to over 150 professionals in New England and 2,850 total.
- Headquartered in Boston, LeftField operates as an owner’s project manager across Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Connecticut in the K-12 education sector, with additional experience in higher education, life sciences and municipal projects, per the news release.
Dive Insight:
As a result of the merger, Cumming Group says it is now one of the region’s largest independent project management companies, per the announcement.
LeftField will maintain its brand and identity, according to Jessica Busch-Garrett, senior director of public relations for Cumming Group, until the two firms fully integrate.
“Cumming Group and LeftField have a tight-knit culture of dedicated team members and a strong set of common values,” said Jim Rogers, founder and principal of LeftField, in the news release. “We’ve already begun collaborating on projects, and this partnership expands our capabilities by bringing clients a broader suite of integrated services including cost management, scheduling, and project controls.”
LeftField has managed public-sector capital programs that include schools, athletic facilities, public safety facilities and community centers, according to the announcement. It has also aided clients who were engaged in complex commercial developments such as research laboratories and mixed-use higher educational facilities.
“Collectively, we will continue to deliver best-in-class services—shaping the future of education, research, and community infrastructure across the Northeast,” said Derek Hutchison, Cumming Group’s president and CEO, in the news release.
Cumming Group and LeftField make the move amid a rise in construction merger and acquisition activity. Zachry Construction, for example, acquired Plano, Texas-based Crescent Constructors on Sept. 30 to zero in on the Texas water project market. On the West Coast, San Francisco-based builder Webcor made a deal to acquire GCON on Oct. 17, a construction management firm that worked on mission critical, data center and semiconductor projects.
Meanwhile, Canadian infrastructure giant WSP reportedly made a multibillion-dollar bid for Dallas-based Jacobs, according to an Oct. 24 report from StreetInsider.
This isn’t Cumming Group’s only move in the M&A space this year, either. In April, it merged with World Wide Professional Services, a Phoenix-based semiconductor advisory firm, to target the domestic fab market.
