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TRANSACTIONS THE HFW COMPANIES FORMS STRATEGIC GROWTH PARTNERSHIP WITH GEORGIA-BASED CRANSTON TO ACCELERATE EXPANSION The HFW Companies, a fast-growing professional services firm with a national focus on the AEC industry, announced a strategic growth partnership with CRANSTON, a legacy engineering, landscape architecture, planning, and surveying firm that has been serving Southeast communities for more than half a century. The new partnership allows CRANSTON to accelerate its strategic vision for growth and expand even more aggressively throughout “the heart of the Southeast” with additional services, locations, and people, according to Scott Williams, PE, president of CRANSTON. “CRANSTON, with record growth over the past few years, recently had set its long- term sights on expanding its reach and empowering every community across the heart of the Southeast to thrive,” said Williams. “This new partnership with HFW gives us a platform on which to achieve that vision much faster and with much greater opportunity for both our hard- working team and the communities we serve while allowing us to forge ahead in growing the CRANSTON brand. We’re
excited to align ourselves with HFW and its network of brands.” CRANSTON grew out of a merger in 1967 between Baldwin Engineering Company and Cranston Associates. The combined firm, headed by CRANSTON founder Craig Cranston, became Baldwin & Cranston Associates and, eventually, CRANSTON. Today, the firm employs 75 people and serves its project partners and communities from offices in Augusta, Georgia, Charleston, South Carolina, and Hilton Head, South Carolina. CRANSTON, in partnering with HFW, joins a growing network of growth- oriented AEC firms whose teams will be able to share best practices, economies of scale, and unique areas of expertise, according to Michael Hein, AIA, chief executive officer of St. Louis-based HFW. HFW’s business model, he said, is designed to retain and leverage each partnering firm’s own brand identity, loyal employee base, and the allegiance of its project partners to build what he describes as a nationwide “house of brands” network of member firms. “CRANSTON’s brand legacy has such great long-term growth potential,” said
Hein. “It aligns nicely with our growth strategy of investing in architecture and engineering firms that serve metropolitan and infrastructure markets and are open to aligning with a partner for growth. “This investment represents another significant step in our effort,” he added, “to build a nationally preeminent network of AE firms concentrating on the country’s infrastructure. We’re looking forward to growing together.” 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 a partner for growth. Our member firms, grounded by technical excellence, solve the most important problems facing our built environment, making communities better through creative design, engineering, and planning. CRANSTON has been leveraging its diverse civil and structural engineering, landscape architecture, surveying, and planning expertise for more than half a century to improve the quality of life in communities throughout the heart of the Southeast.
SHAPING THE WORLD, from page 7
work big hours some weeks, but maybe want to take December off to vacation in France or ride their bike in New Zealand or coach their kids’ basketball team. TZL: How do you typically begin the day? Exercise? Coffee? Breakfast? The news? Basically, what gets your motor running? SO: I’m an early riser, so my day usually starts with my partner and I walking our dogs and bonding. I then usually follow up with a brisk walk or a bike ride to get the blood flowing and the ideas organized in my head. TZL: Ownership transition can be tricky, to say the least. What’s the key to ensuring a smooth passing of the baton? What’s the biggest pitfall to avoid? SO: Make money as a company and reward the people who are most responsible for driving your firm’s success. Once a firm is seen as a fabulous place to work, but there is no appetite for stock purchases, it’s game over. TZL: In one word or phrase, what do you describe as your number one job responsibility? SO: Create a strong internal appetite for owning company stock.
DOWL won the ACEC Oregon Chapter’s Award of Excellence in January with its Mt. Hood Meadows ski resort’s Sahale Lodge Addition project.
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THE ZWEIG LETTER OCTOBER 10, 2022, ISSUE 1460
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