Milwaukee-based MSA Professional Services, Inc., with an office in Bettendorf, has acquired Fredericksen Engineering, Inc., effective Monday, July 10, MSA said in a news release.
The acquisition brings together two firms whose professionals have worked alongside one another for more than 30 years.
Fredericksen, headquartered in Mequon, Wisconsin, has provided heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) engineering design since 1953. It has earned a reputation of excellence in client relations and HVAC innovation with a portfolio of projects across the U.S. in partnership with architects, municipalities, county governments, school districts, public and private business owners, and consulting engineers.
Now a division of MSA, Fredericksen nine-person staff will join MSA’s multidisciplinary team of more than 400 employee owners who are based in 17 offices across Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin including Fredericksen’s current location in Mequon, a Milwaukee suburb.
In the Quad Cities, MSA Professional Services has an office in the Alter Building in downtown Bettendorf, and employs 13 employees ranging from public works engineers, architectural associates, team leaders, project managers, client service managers, community development specialists (planning & funding expertise) and administrative staff.
Fredericksen’s professionals will be a part of MSA’s Buildings service line, a division devoted to the disciplines of architectural engineering, structural engineering, mechanical, electrical, plumbing (MEP) and fire protection design.
“We are excited to bring the past 70 years of Fredericksen Engineering history, experience and knowledge base to MSA,” Fredericksen Vice President Jason Testin, who now is MSA’s team leader – engineering, said in the release. “Having worked so closely with the MSA MEP team over the years on hundreds of projects, we believe we complement them well. The future is very bright for this partnership and we can’t wait to move forward together.”
Fredericken President Randy All said, “Fredericksen Engineering has been working side by side with MSA and the former Muermann Engineering team acquired by MSA in 2019 for so many years that this merge felt like a natural fit for both companies.”
Mr. All, who also is MSA’s principal engineer-mechanical, added: “We feel strongly that this merge is not only going to be a great opportunity for our staff moving forward, but also a win-win in general for both the Fredericksen staff and the MSA engineering teams.”
In echoing Mr. All, Gil Hantzsch, MSA’s chief executive officer, said “Our MEP team members have partnered with the Fredericksen staff for decades and have garnered a deep respect and appreciation for their work ethic and quality of service. Such talents will only strengthen our company’s MEP offerings and allow us to provide even more full-service building systems support to our clients. We look forward to this next chapter together.”
In an email to the QCBJ, MSA said the firm continues to grow and expand geographically as well as with additional new services. Founded in 1919 in Baraboo, Wisconsin, by a sole practitioner, MSA has diversified its engineering services through a number of recent acquisitions. In recent years, MSA has acquired these companies (and specialities):
- 2016: Ourston Roundabout Engineering (roundabouts).
- 2017: Lunde Williams, LLC (marina, park, landscape architecture and waterfront design).
- 2019: Muermann Engineering, LLC (mechanical, electrical, plumbing).
- 2023: Fredericksen Engineering, Inc. (HVAC engineering and design).
MSA Professional Services is a 100% employee-owned, full-service multidisciplinary consulting firm serving clients throughout the U.S. Among MSA’s 17 Midwest offices are four in Iowa: Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Dubuque, and Quad Cities (Bettendorf).
