Alpharetta environmental engineering firm MACTEC was bought this week by a London company. MACTEC's CEO said she expects the move will mean more jobs in the area, though she could not say how many.
"I feel certain there will be additional jobs added," CEO Ann Massey said. "I can only assume there will be more hires made."
London-based AMEC spent $280 million for MACTEC, which provides engineering, environmental and construction services to public and private clients. AMEC intends to headquarter its Earth & Environmental practices in metro Atlanta, division president Hisham Mahmoud said.
Mahmoud, who has lived in metro Atlanta for more than a decade, said he has long admired what MACTEC does. The company has a large presence in the eastern half of the United States, while AMEC's U.S. presence is primarily in the west.
Together, the combined company will have about 1,000 employees in metro Atlanta and 7,000 in the United States. Mahmoud said it is too soon to give details about possible new jobs in the area, but said he would like to relocate some existing employees to metro Atlanta.
The purchase makes AMEC a "key and major competitor," Mahmoud said.
"It's a growing business," he said. "I think there will be opportunities."
Massey said employees and clients are "extremely excited" about the acquisition, which will allow MACTEC to expand its geographic presence both nationally and internationally. Partnering with AMEC will also interest job candidates who want to work for a larger company, Massey said, making it easier to recruit employees.
Massey will stay with the company, she said, but did not specify what her role will be. The MACTEC name will be phased out.
Debra K. Rubin, business editor of the industry magazine Engineering News-Record, said the acquisition will boost AMEC's presence in the U.S. MACTEC was the 32nd-ranked design firm by revenue, with $407.7 million in 2010, she said. AMEC ranked 6th, with 2010 revenues of $2.45 billion -- about $2 billion of it from outside the United States
Other firms have also been actively growing through acquisitions or otherwise, so Rubin said she was not sure if AMEC's 2011 ranking would rise.
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