MRB Group, a Rochester-based engineering, architecture and municipal services firm, has announced several expansions, including a key acquisition which increases its staff by more than 15%. The firm is also adding office space and staffing in two regional locations, with two more office expansions to come later in the year.
President Ryan T. Colvin, PE, announced the staff expansion when he shared the recent decision to acquire BSP Engineers, currently located in Central Texas. According to Colvin, the move broadens the spectrum of services available to communities in all MRB Group locations.
MRB Group is also significantly increasing its office space in Syracuse, and recently moved into a new downtown-area location to expand its Saratoga Springs staff. In Texas, two of the firm’s locations in the City of Temple will soon be merged into a much larger, centrally-located downtown space, to accommodate the significant increases in need there.
“We have been in accelerated growth mode for some time,” Colvin said, explaining that the driving force is MRB Group’s increasing number of clients and services.
“We must constantly evolve to meet our clients’ needs, making sure we have the latest in skills, technology, and training to serve communities and help them overcome the growing number of challenges facing local governments,” Colvin said.
“BSP Engineers is a well-respected firm with an experienced team. They specialize in transportation, sewer and water system engineering, advanced GIS and imaging technology, and provide an array of municipal services. They are an excellent and natural fit with our existing teams,” Colvin stated. “They share our business model and philosophy – 100% focused on clients,” he said.
With offices in Temple and Waco, the BSP staff will also be working to support New York clients and projects, since technology utilized by MRB Group enables virtually seamless mobility and information-sharing from region to region. “Our New York clients will benefit from the enhanced resources, while continuing to be served by the local representatives they see often – and know they can rely on,” Colvin stated.
“The decision to invite BSP Engineers to join MRB Group was made with clients in mind,” Colvin continued.
“We are really excited to join with MRB Group,” said BSP President Anthony Beach, PE, noting that he and his team will continue to provide uninterrupted service to existing clients. “We have established strong relationships with many communities, and they will continue to receive the same great service, from the same people they’ve come to know and trust,” Beach stated.
BSP was founded in 1991, and according to Beach, was inspired by the lifelong training in construction for municipal utilities that he received from his father, who held a deep respect for the importance of precise design specifications. The high expectations and unwavering demand for excellence still drives Beach nearly 30 years later. He believes this contributed to the firm’s reputation for high quality projects and client dedication, and made it an attractive investment for MRB Group.
“MRB Group may have a longer history,” said Colvin, referring to the firm’s nearly 100 years of service to local governments, “but we share the same dedication to supporting our communities and clients in meeting the economic challenges they face,” he continued.
“We get a tremendous personal satisfaction from helping to strengthen a community in need where innovation and creative approaches can have a great impact,” Colvin explained.
“If we improve a water system in a community that previously could not afford to make needed upgrades, for example, then that’s a major change in lives – and a jump-start to the local economy,” Colvin said. “That’s making a difference.”
Similarly, Beach spent his career navigating Texas funding resources and helping communities afford to create and maintain critical infrastructure including water distribution and sanitary sewer collection systems, drainage facilities, and roadways. He built a team of professionals that include Vice President Scott Murrah, PE, CFO Beth Proctor, and Funding & Client Services Specialist Janet Sheguit. In addition to the core staff of 13, several part time construction observers will also be joining MRB Group.
BSP’s entire team will join MRB Group’s existing staff of over 80, gaining enhanced support from professionals and technicians who specialize in architecture, site development, engineering, planning and planning board support, and an array of municipal operations services like master- and strategic planning, and community-based economic development.
Following the merger, MRB Group will continue to serve clients at all of their current area locations, including its Rochester headquarters in the Culver Road Armory, with regional offices in the Finger Lakes (Geneva), Seneca County (Waterloo), Syracuse, and the Capital region (Saratoga Springs). In Texas, MRB Group has offices in Austin, Waco, and two locations in Temple. Information regarding office locations, addresses, and contacts can be found at www.mrbgroup.com .
“We’re proud of our client-focused business model,” Colvin stated, noting that some communities have worked with MRB Group for more than 50 consecutive years.
“Now that we’ve joined forces with BSP, we’re an even more powerful resource for communities,” he said. “And we will still continually evolve,” he continued.
“From our management to our engineers, architects, planners and technical staff, we are always stretching our boundaries – both geographically and professionally. We carry that forward-focused thinking to our clients, working with them as partners to foster community growth.”
Together the combined staff will continue MRB Group’s principal focus on municipal services and utility districts. The firm provides professional engineering support for day-to-day operations like water and wastewater treatment, public works services, and local government planning. Its design team also helps local governments maintain or rehabilitate public assets like courts, municipal offices, parks, and community facilities.
