Weekly Briefing: May 30, 2025
- Socially Adept Solutions
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
Water Projects in Blue States Paused, While Funding Requests in Red States Favored
A congressional analysis revealed that the Trump administration redirected $437 million away from Democratic-leaning states, such as California, Hawaii, and Washington, and allocated $258 million to Republican-leaning states in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ fiscal 2025 work plan, breaking from traditional bipartisan funding practices.
Senator Patty Murray criticized the administration for overriding bipartisan agreements, calling the funding decisions a partisan overreach that undermines carefully negotiated congressional priorities.
Key infrastructure projects in blue states were defunded or paused, including a $500 million water storage and fish passage project at Hanson Dam in Washington and several flood-risk reduction projects in California, such as the $2.03 billion Lower San Joaquin River Basin initiative.
Local officials expressed concern over the future of “shovel-ready project(s)” now in limbo, while the administration denied political motivations, citing difficult tradeoffs due to a $1.4 billion budget cut authorized by a continuing resolution.
ACEC Research Institute Report Finds AI is Transforming Engineering by Accelerating Human Talent
The ACEC Research Institute’s new report, part of its “Firm of the Future” series, explores how AI is reshaping the engineering industry by enhancing human capabilities through real-world applications and firm-level strategies.
The report finds that AI enhances, not replaces, engineers by automating repetitive tasks and enabling staff to focus on high-value activities such as innovation and strategic decision-making.
According to the report, 85% of firms see AI as essential; 74% expect it will help maintain staffing levels while boosting productivity.
AI adoption is most common in marketing/sales (81%), followed by design and project delivery (36%), with applications such as generative design, inspections, and proposal development.
EFCG's Technology and Innovation Partner, Marcus Quigley, contributed to the report as a member of the research institute's AI Working Group.
May 22, 2025
INVISION, an Iowa-based planning, architecture, and interiors firm, backed by The HFW Companies, has acquired Macgregor Associates Architects (MAA), a Georgia-based firm that specializes in the design of distribution and fulfillment centers, warehouses, data centers, manufacturing facilities, corporate headquarters, and office buildings. This move advances INVISION along its path of national expansion while supporting MAA’s goal of strategic growth by expanding its geographic reach and securing more project opportunities. Eric Ritland, a partner with INVISION, stated, “[MAA] with its reputation for specialized design services in light industrial facilities and data centers, not only has given us an opportunity to continue our expansion into the Southeast market, but this also allows us to expand the depth of our design expertise and strengthen those services across a growing national footprint.”
May 22, 2025
ZenaTech, a Canada-based technology company specializing in AI drones, Drone as a Service (DaaS), Enterprise SaaS, and Quantum Computing solutions, has acquired Laventure & Associates, a Florida-based land surveying and mapping services firm. This acquisition strengthens ZenaTech’s services in the powerline inspection market, a fast-growing and high-valued market in the United States, while also boosting the firm’s existing presence in Florida. Shaun Passley, Ph.D., CEO of ZenaTech, commented, “Laventure & Associates is an important addition that will leverage new capabilities for AI drones to conduct powerline inspections, potentially adding to our overall DaaS services portfolio future growth. This marks our fifth US acquisition to date, demonstrating steady progress toward acquiring and integrating up to 20 additional companies and new services growth over the next 12 months.”
May 27, 2025
Trinity Consultants (Trinity), a Texas-based global Environmental Health and Safety firm, has acquired Zanjero, a California-based engineering and water planning consultancy. The acquisition bolsters Trinity’s trajectory for sustained expansion and innovation in water and ecological services. Mike Remsberg, divisional president of Water & Ecology at Trinity, noted, “Given their specialized expertise providing strategic water resource planning services to cities, counties and water service providers throughout California and the Western U.S., Zanjero enables us to deliver a more extensive suite of solutions to better meet clients' growing needs.”
May 27, 2025
Littlejohn & Co. (Littlejohn), a Connecticut-based private investment firm, has acquired RailPros, a Texas-based provider of engineering and field services for the rail and transit market. The acquisition will help RailPros to improve its capabilities as a provider of outsourced services to rail, utilities, and transportation clients, offering turnkey safety management, engineering, utility observation, real estate permitting, project management, and construction management. Michael Kaplan, Managing Director at Littlejohn, said, “RailPros is an industry pioneer, and its North American footprint, comprehensive service offering, and reputation for high quality service, positions it as a valued partner to their long tenured, blue-chip customer base.”
May 28, 2025
Stratus Team (Stratus), a Pennsylvania-based engineering, architecture, and consulting firm, backed by Brightstar Capital Partners, has acquired Kilian Engineering (Kilian), a North Carolina-based firm that provides mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire alarm (MEP/FA) design services. This acquisition will enhance Stratus’ presence in the Southeast and expand its MEP/FA service offerings. “Kilian’s track record of technical excellence and long-standing client relationships immediately stood out to us,” commented Brandon Enochs, CEO of Stratus. “By combining their expertise with our platform, our goal is to increase our MEP/FA services capacity while reinforcing our commitment to delivering best-in-class service in high-growth markets.”
Employees of SSOE recently participated in the American Heart Association of Northwest Ohio’s Heart Walk at Promenade Park in downtown Toledo. The SSOE team proudly reached their fundraising goal, supporting the American Heart Association’s mission to fight heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States. Among its many impactful initiatives, this organization is committed to expanding CPR training, equipping more people with the skills needed to respond effectively in emergencies. Vince DiPofi, CEO of SSOE and a heart disease survivor, has been a strong advocate for the American Heart Association and has served on the board since 2019. SSOE is honored to support such a positive and impactful organization.
The EFCG Weekly Briefing summarizes the week’s key news in the AEC industry, including M&A updates, and micro- and macro-trends, aggregated from industry-focused and global news sources.
To send any additional press releases or news from your firm that you would like us to share please email Clay Han at chan@efcg.com.