CPL partners with private equity firm for growth beyond Rochester

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CPL, the Perinton-based architecture, engineering and planning firm, has joined forces with a private equity investor to accelerate national growth.

GHK Capital Partners LP, headquartered in Greenwich, Connecticut, now has a stake in the 51-year-old multidisciplinary firm.

The venture marks a pivotal milestone for CPL, which envisions becoming a strategic leader in the architecture and engineering industry through further expansion into the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and South.

In bringing on board the financial backing of GHK Capital Partners, CPL now has the capability to expand capacity and continue implementation of an ambitious five-year plan.

“We still are owners in the company but this provides the financial mechanism to fulfill our growth strategy,” Todd Liebert, chairman and CEO of CPL, said on Monday morning, when the transaction was announced. “The intent of this partnership is that we will be four times our size by 2030.”

CPL has more than 500 employees across 25 locations in eight states and continues to examine expansion opportunities. The current leadership team will continue to plot strategy and oversee day-to-day operations.

CPL has been the target of numerous private equity firms in recent years, but Liebert said the company was interested only if the investor aligned with long-established values.

“We’re a people business; it’s all about the people and they know that,” Liebert said. “They understand our business, respect our culture and share our belief that long-term success comes from investing in people, strengthening capabilities and serving clients well.”

The GHK portfolio already includes an architecture and engineering firm. GHK acquired WBS, an infrastructure design, consulting and civil engineering firm in Golden Valley, Minnesota, in 2023.

During negotiations with CPL, GHK officials noted that their capital backing allowed WBS to grow.

“They showed us how they took that firm and helped them grow to a national platform in three years,” Liebert said. “They really bought into our vision and wanted to back our growth plan.”

CPL specializes in providing architectural, interior design, civil engineering, buildings and structural engineering, planning, landscape architecture and 3D/virtual design services to a host of sectors, including community and culture, health care, higher education, infrastructure and K-12 education.

“CPL has developed a reputation as a trusted advisor to asset owners navigating the life cycle of complex, multi-site facility networks,” Gilbert Klemann, founder and managing partner of GHK, said in a news release. “Supported by a passionate and entrepreneurial staff, Todd and his team have built an impressive business with a foundation purpose-built for growth.”

Harter Secrest & Emery LLP served as legal counsel to CPL during the transaction process. HSE’s Timothy M. Fitzgerald has served as outside general counsel for CLP for the past 10 years.

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