OBG acquires Milwaukee environmental engineering firm

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse engineering firm OBG (formerly known as O’Brien & Gere) announced that it has acquired Natural Resource Technology (NRT), an environmental engineering and consulting firm headquartered in Milwaukee.

NRT, which has about 75 employees, also has regional offices in Chicago; East Lansing, Michigan; and Bloomington, Illinois. The firm’s business is focused on sediment and manufactured-gas plant waste remediation, coal-combustion residuals management, and ecotoxicology.

OBG didn’t release any financial terms of the deal.

This is the second acquisition for OBG in four months — it purchased Charlotte, North Carolina–based PENTA Engineering, P.A. in September — and third deal in the past two years.

“This is the third strategic acquisition we have completed over the past two years, which combined, have brought more than 160 new employees to our company,” Jim Fox, OBG CEO, said in a news release. “These acquisitions represent our strong commitment to strengthening our brand, expanding our client relationships and market presence, and accelerating our growth.”

The acquisition of NRT supports OBG’s growth plans and “specifically, its focus on the remediation of complex sites for the energy utilities, industrial, and federal market sectors,” the company said.

 “One of our key strategic growth initiatives is to expand our sediment remediation capabilities across the country,” Thomas Nowlan, OBG senior VP and leader of the company’s environmental business, said in the release. “OBG has completed some of the nation’s largest, most complex remediation and redevelopment projects. NRT’s expertise in sediment and manufactured gas plant waste remediation, coal combustion residuals management, and ecotoxicology, together with OBG’s established remediation experience and presence in advanced manufacturing, energy, and wastewater engineering, will provide our clients a broader range of expertise to help complete their most challenging environmental and capital projects.”

OBG is headquartered at 333 West Washington St. in Syracuse’s Armory Square area. It also has a manufacturing and technology-development center in Clay. With the acquisition of NRT, it now employs about 1,000 people.

Contact Rombel at arombel@cnybj.com