TZL 1370 (web)

TRANSACT IONS WSP TO ACQUIRE GOLDER, CREATING THE LEADING GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTING FIRM WSP has entered into an agreement to acquire Golder Associates , a leading global engineering and consulting firm with over 60 years of experience in providing earth science and environmental services. The acquisition, which is aligned with WSP’s 2019-2021 Global Strategic Plan, ideally positions WSP’s strategic environment platform to capitalize on environmental, social, and governance trends. The acquisition is expected to be completed in the first half of the second quarter of 2021. “Together we will create the leading global environmental consulting firmwith approximately 14,000 of our 54,000 professionals dedicated to accelerating the world’s green transition. The combination ideally positions WSP to capitalize on the rapidly growing ESG trends driving demand for environmental services and sustainable infrastructure development”, commented Alexandre L’Heureux, president and CEO of WSP. “WSP looks forward to welcoming Golder’s employees and joining forces with such a well-respected environmental consulting brand. Golder is a global leader in earth sciences and environmental services. This acquisition directly contributes to the realization of the goals we laid out in our 2019-2021 Global Strategic Plan and is expected to contribute to both strategic growth and value creation for

many years to come. Furthermore, the strategic relationships with GIC and BCI mark another important milestone for WSP to actively continue our acquisition strategy,” he added. Also commenting on the acquisition, Dr. Hisham Mahmoud, Global president and CEO of Golder said, “Over the last 60 years, Golder has been on a journey where we have built one of the most successful and respected brands in the industry. Combining Golder’s industry-leading expertise with WSP’s impressive world-class platform and highly complementary services will provide long- term benefits for our people and help create greater value for our clients. This view is echoed and confirmed by the overwhelming support of our Partners for the transaction. I believe that the compatible cultures and values of WSP and Golder will facilitate a successful integration.” Founded in 1960 and headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, Golder is a private, employee-owned engineering and consulting firm with 60 years of experience in the geo- sciences sector; an engineering niche focused on earth and environmental conditions. Golder provides engineering, remediation, regulatory and compliance, design and environmental services to clients in the mining, manufacturing, oil and gas, power and infrastructure industries. Golder operates in 155 offices with approximately 7,000 employees across more than 30 countries globally.

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CHRISTINA ZWEIG NIEHUES, from page 1 fast-growth (92 percent) and Best Firms To Work For Award recipients (83 percent) were more likely to have an HR department than the overall sample (70 percent). Here are a few other areas where best performing firms stood out: ❚ ❚ Bonuses. It’s no surprise successful firms spent more on bonuses last year – a whopping $15,019 per full-time employee at very high profit firms, $9,288 at fast-growth firms, and $7,730 in the general population. ❚ ❚ Chargeability. Although chargeability rates were similar, fast-growth and very high profit firms were less likely to have a gap between actual chargeability and chargeability goals – just 1 percent at very high profit firms, 1.6 percent at fast-growth firms, and double that (3.2 percent) among all firms surveyed. ❚ ❚ Young principals. Very high profit firms were also more likely to have younger principals – 11 percent falling into the 30-39 year old range – just 4 percent of principals at fast-growth and all other firms fell into this age range. Knowing your firm’s numbers and having some benchmarks is absolutely vital for success (in any area), but make sure when comparing your firm to the industry that you are looking at the full range of data available and choosing the best possible benchmark for your firm’s goals. CHRISTINA ZWEIG NIEHUES is Zweig Group’s director of research and e-commerce. She can be reached at czweig@zweiggroup.com.

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2020 BEST PERFORMING FIRMS IN THE AEC INDUSTRY REPORT How do the most successful AEC firms do business? How do firms that excel in growth, financial performance, profitability, excellent workplaces, or marketing stand out from the rest? Find out with the 2020 Best Performing Firms in the AEC Industry Report. Click here to learn more.

THE ZWEIG LETTER DECEMBER 7, 2020, ISSUE 1370

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