Bergmann to partner with Colliers Engineering & Design

A just-formed partnership with Colliers Engineering & Design eventually will lead to Rochester-based architecture, engineering and planning firm Bergmann becoming part of a new entity, CED.

The partnership with Colliers Engineering & Design has been in the works since February, when the Red Bank, N.J.-based firm inquired with Bergmann President and CEO Pietro Giovenco about joining forces.

The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter and 2022 will serve as a year of integration of services, with Jan. 1, 2023, the target date for completion of the transformation.

Colliers is primarily a civil engineering and surveying firm. By bringing Bergmann’s team of nearly 500 employees aboard, the firm adds to its service offerings.

“They do everything outside the building, they do not have the capability of designing buildings,” Giovenco said. “They also don’t have the design capabilities that we have with respect to larger infrastructure projects.”

Bergmann actually had been in an acquisition mode in recent years and had shown no interest in selling or merging.

“Nine times out of 10 I wouldn’t have brought a proposal to our board because it really didn’t excite me,” Giovenco said. “But given the unique partnership situation, and because we are on the ground floor of creating this new company, we have a say in how we develop a culture that has been so successful for us.”

Once the partnership is complete, CED will be part of Colliers International, a global real estate firm with nearly 17,000 employees worldwide, Giovenco said.

The entire Bergmann workforce will be retained and there are no plans to consolidate or close its 14 offices across the Northeast, Giovenco said. Colliers Engineering & Design has 45 offices, with the only overlap in Albany and Philadelphia.

The partnership now enables Bergmann to migrate into Southern and Midwest markets.

Giovenco will become president of Northeast operations, essentially overseeing everything that is Bergmann today while assuming additional duties.

“Bergmann’s service reach, proven track record and internal culture closely align with ours, which was an important factor in choosing them as a strategic partner,”  Kevin L. Haney, president and CEO of Colliers Engineering & Design, said in a news release. “Our investment in Bergmann supports our strategic plan by adding more highly valued, essential services to our private, public and infrastructure clients.”

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