Bowman acquires Maryland engineering firm

Reston-based Bowman Consulting Group Ltd. has acquired Rockville, Maryland-based Richter & Associates, a dry utility infrastructure engineering firm, the company announced Tuesday.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Richter has 28 employees. The company works with private and public clients as well as utilities to design, develop and implement natural gas, electric and telecommunications infrastructure. The firm was founded by CEO Steve Richter in 1989, according to his LinkedIn account. Richter, along with other senior managers of the company, will become part of the Bowman management team.

“Evolving complexity of end use, combined with increasing load demand, is forcing utilities to rethink their approach to system extension, capacity management, interconnectivity, and last-mile design,” Bowman CEO Gary Bowman said in a statement. “Steve has built a business uniquely positioned to address the need for integrated dry utility engineering inherent in all infrastructure projects. Every structure built requires coordinated orchestration of last-mile utility engineering and interconnection with multiple utility providers. Richter has built a solid foundation of experience and an impeccable reputation from which we can grow this service nationally.”

Bowman expects the Richter acquisition to contribute approximately $5.5 million of annualized net service billing.

“As development issues relating to electric, natural gas, telecommunications, alternative energies, streetlighting and traffic signaling became more complex, development costs escalated and frustration increased,” Richter said in a statement. “An opportunity presented itself for a firm to navigate and intercede with utilities and public agencies on behalf of infrastructure planners, developers  and owners. … We feel that this is the right time to join with a bigger firm to expand our reach and breadth of services and accelerate our growth.  We are excited to become part of Bowman and look forward to adding value to their national platform.”

Bowman has 1,700 employees in more than 70 offices across the country and provides planning, engineering, geospatial, construction management, commissioning, environmental consulting, land procurement and other technical services. The company went public in May 2021 and has acquired 17 companies across the country as it continues to look for strategic growth opportunities.