Horner & Shifrin buys O'Neill & Company to enter the West

Horner & Shifrin has acquired Salt Lake City traffic engineering firm O'Neill & Company, giving the St. Louis-based employee-owned company its first West Region office and expanding its transportation practice. The deal adds Utah market expertise and more than 400 traffic signal designs to the firm’s national platform.

Why it matters: - The acquisition gives Horner & Shifrin its first office in the West Region and expands the firm’s footprint to 10 offices. - The move strengthens Horner & Shifrin’s largest practice area: transportation engineering. - Clients in Utah and the broader West Region gain access to a larger platform with deeper technical capabilities. - The deal extends the company’s employee-ownership model into a new market.

What happened: - Horner & Shifrin announced the acquisition of O'Neill & Company, a Salt Lake City-based traffic and transportation engineering firm. - The acquisition became effective today. - O'Neill & Company now operates as Horner & Shifrin. - Carrie O'Neill, founder of O'Neill & Company, will continue to lead the Salt Lake City office as VP, Regional Manager. - O'Neill & Company’s entire team is joining Horner & Shifrin.

The details: - Horner & Shifrin was founded in St. Louis in 1933 and is 100-percent employee-owned. - The firm has been employee-owned through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan since 1987. - Horner & Shifrin said the acquisition advances its long-term strategy of geographic growth through high-performing, client-focused teams. - The combined transportation portfolio now includes traffic signal design, intelligent transportation systems, roadway lighting and signal synchronization. - Horner & Shifrin’s existing transportation work includes roadway and bridge design, roadway safety, major intersection work and design-build projects for state departments of transportation. - The company said the expanded reach creates new opportunities for clients in both regions. - Horner & Shifrin reports a 94% client satisfaction rating across transportation, water and wastewater, stormwater and flood protection, building systems, environmental planning and permitting, surveying, and geospatial mapping. - The company has more than 200 professionals and more than 90 years of experience in civil infrastructure, transportation, water resources and structural engineering. - The firm also says it is consistently recognized as a top engineering workplace. - More information is available at the company’s website.

Between the lines: - Horner & Shifrin is using acquisition to deepen its strongest practice area while entering a new geography. - Carrie O'Neill brings local credibility in Utah, including more than 400 traffic signals designed across the state for the Utah Department of Transportation, counties and municipalities. - The pairing suggests Horner & Shifrin wants growth that preserves a client-service culture, not just scale. - Employee ownership is a central part of the company’s pitch to employees and clients.

What's next: - Horner & Shifrin will operate in Utah through the Salt Lake City office led by Carrie O'Neill. - The firm is likely to use the new West Region presence to pursue more transportation and infrastructure work beyond its established Midwest and South markets. - The acquisition gives Horner & Shifrin a base for broader regional growth if the integration goes as planned.

The bottom line: - Horner & Shifrin is turning an acquisition into a geographic expansion play, a practice-area upgrade and a test of its employee-owned model in a new region.