BC Engineering Group Acquires Firma Design Group; Strengthening Its Position in the Civil Engineering Industry

​​BC Engineering Group, a 19-person Santa Rosa based civil engineering and land planning company, has purchased Firma Design Group, a 10-person Santa Rosa based civil engineering and landscape architecture firm.

 
The purchase, which occurred in late April 2019, is on the heels of a blossoming business relationship between the principal of each firm. Thomas Billeter, principal engineer and founder of BC Engineering Group, and Martin Goldsbrough, principal and a founding member of Firma Design Group, have been supporting each other on projects for several months leading up to the business transaction. Mr. Goldsbrough brought up the idea of a sale to Mr. Billeter in 2018. “The idea of making a formal tie between the two companies was exciting and appealing, the discussions and negotiations progressed quickly from there” said Mr. Billeter.
 
Both firms, although competing with one another in certain areas of service, differed substantially in clientele being served. According to Mr. Billeter, “Firma Design Group’s clientele and areas of service were seen as very valuable, and if purchased would provide us with a lot of diversification, specifically geographically and in the types of clientele served.” Firma Design Group serves many public clients throughout the bay area, while BC Engineering Group primarily serves private clientele throughout California. “The addition of Firma Design Group has made BC Engineering Group substantially more recession proof overnight” said Mr. Billeter.
 
Both companies have offices in Santa Rosa. BC Engineering Group has no immediate plans to close either location, one north of Coddingtown and one in downtown Santa Rosa. With the bolstered staff, the owners of BC Engineering Group intend to expand geographically in the next 24 months to neighboring Counties.