When two highly successful and like-minded engineering firms discovered last year that each would need to beef up their manpower in order to keep up with client demands, a light bulb came on. Why not merge units and be all the stronger for it? That’s exactly what has taken place for what will be known going forward as Merritt Midwest, Inc.
The two long- standing Southwest Michigan engineering and surveying companies, Merritt Engineering and Midwest Civil Engineers have announced they are merging into a single company this month.
Merritt Engineering Inc. is based in Stevensville and Midwest Civil Engineers, Inc. is headquartered in South Haven. The two professional services firms expect to complete the transition to a single operating company by the end of the month, according to John Olson and Robert Andrew of Merritt and Robert Pirsein of Midwest.
The combined company, to be known as Merritt Midwest Inc., will operate out of both existing offices. As Merritt President John Olson puts it, “We were familiar with and have respected each other’s work for many years. About a year ago, both companies needed additional staff to keep up with our clients’ needs.” He adds, “Almost simultaneously, we thought of each other and the possibility of merging.”
Midwest’s Pirsein tells us, “Each firm has provided design and construction services for numerous utility extensions and replacements, new and reconstructed streets, storm water collection and detention facilities, and on-site sewage treatment systems, both public and private.” He notes that both firms also do work as well on residential subdivisions, condominiums, and commercial developments of all sizes.
Rob Andrew is Vice President at Merritt Engineering. He says, “We complement each other in that we each bring experience with various types of projects that the other may not have,” adding such is the case, “from a Lake Michigan beach restoration project to a state of the art water treatment plant.”
Pirsein says that, “Services provided by the new company will include public and private engineering design, construction monitoring of streets and utilities, land surveying, land planning, preparation of grant applications, preparation of capital improvement plans, and FEMA Elevation Certificates.”
Merritt Engineering, Inc. was founded in 1979 by Lawrence Merritt, while Midwest Civil Engineers, Inc. was founded in 2005 as a successor company to Sternaman and Associates, Inc., which was founded in 1972 by Monte Sternaman.
The newly re-branded Merritt Midwest will build and maintain relationships with clients, as the principals pride themselves on providing quality engineering and surveying services no matter the size of the project. They offer that the goal is to provide practical, cost effective engineering solutions and measurable results to clients.
