VHB acquires Brinkerhoff Environmental Services

VHB, a national leader in providing integrated consulting services, said Jan. 25 it acquired Brinkerhoff Environmental Services (BES), a 44-person environmental sciences firm with three offices in New Jersey.

Together with BES, VHB said it is expanding the firm’s services to meet market demands, providing enhanced capabilities for clients in the high-density New Jersey market.

“As we considered our growth and expansion in New Jersey, finding an organization that shares VHB’s values of client service, quality, and collaboration was important,” said Glen Kirkpatrick, managing director, VHB. “With shared core values, together we will reinforce our focus on delivering a differentiating client experience.”

With more than 30 offices across the East Coast, VHB works to deliver resilient and sustainable solutions that provide a positive impact to clients and communities. VHB’s engineers, scientists, planners, and designers partner with clients to deliver complex projects across six markets—transportation, real estate, institution, energy, federal, and state and local government—and has provided services to many NY/NJ metro area clients for decades.

VHB President and CEO Mike Carragher stated, “VHB and BES share a mutual respect for the environment and a desire to help our clients navigate challenging obstacles as we work to improve the livability of our communities.”

BES has been providing environmental services for more than 35 years, with a focus on revitalizing urban communities and the redevelopment of environmentally safe public buildings. Working for a diverse client group, including in both public and private sectors, their services include Licensed Site Remediation Professional (LSRP) services; Phase I and II Environmental Site Assessments; management of Brownfields sites; soil and groundwater remediation; environmental planning and permitting; coordination with regulatory agencies, municipalities, community groups, and private developers; freshwater wetlands delineation and consulting services; and the preparation of Environmental Impact Statements.

BES’ Laura Brinkerhoff, president and CEO, and John Checchio, senior technical advisor, will join VHB as principals. Joining as Associates will be Laura Clifford, office manager, senior project manager; Jason Hooper, senior project manager; Yvonne Jamieson, senior project manager; Sergio Rojas, senior project manager; Amber Satterly, senior project manager; and Thomas Smith, senior
project manager.

BES will join VHB’s New Jersey team and operate legally as Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc. and be known as VHB. The team, currently operating remotely, will primarily be located in BES offices in Manasquan and Newark, serving clients in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.