# Big engineering fish eats slightly smaller engineering fish...



## FusionWhite (Dec 4, 2007)

So we got word of a big announcement coming down from on high today. Turns out the owners of my company decided to sell out to a much larger engineering firm. My company has about 400 employees in 7 offices mostly in the southeast and midwest. We're being bought out by Stantec based in Canada. No employee's are going to lose there jobs and supposedly our pay/compensation package will be restructred but total pay will not decrease.

Anyone work for, work with or know about Stantec? They're pretty big, with almost 8k employees in offices across the country. Maybe now would be a good time to bail out of here if they're going to screw us.


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## RIP - VTEnviro (Dec 5, 2007)

When I lived in NY I coincidentally happened to work for a firm based in this area of VT. They got bought out by Stantec a year or 2 ago. I talked to some of the guys I used to work with and they said it didn't affect them much at the local level, their check just comes from elsewhere now. It made sense in a way because my old company had 300 people was on the fence between being a small firm and going corporate. They suffered from being too big too be small and too small to be big.

The impression I get around here through the grapewine is that the smaller towns and clients aren't happy with their service. Stantec is big corporate and their market is the big multi-million dollar highway and treatment plant projects, etc., and their service to the little guy has dropped off. We have actually picked up some of their old work because that's our niche.


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## udpolo15 (Dec 5, 2007)

I have never heard of them. The big fish will sometime leave acquisitions alone, especially if they are outside their core business.

From my perspective, I don't think I would work for a public company (or one that is owned by private equity). To me, those are just another hand in the cookie jar. It wouldn't impact my compensation now, but as I work my way up and start generate business and gain equity in my company, my compensation would take a hit as someone else is getting a cut of the profits. It would be one thing to already have stock and get a nice payout from the sale, but if I didn't have any stock, I wouldn't be sticking around.

Luckily, the principals in my company voted against selling to a private equity firm last year.


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## ktulu (Dec 5, 2007)

FW-

Whatever happened to the pharmacy thing??


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## FusionWhite (Dec 5, 2007)

ktulu said:


> FW-
> Whatever happened to the pharmacy thing??



I checked it out. Hung out with my father-in-law's pharmacy and decided its not for me. Just not a job I would be happy at either. Im glad I listened to everyone here who said to check it out first. Plus the thought of going back to school for a few more years makes me almost violently ill.

VT my company has always gone after large clients. We usually pass up small clients as it is so that probably wont effect us too much.

I did find this link, looks like we made the news:

http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/ticker/ar...&amp;id=7903747


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## timmyutah (Feb 7, 2008)

I work for Stantec. Welcome aboard. Its nice to have a big company who is secure in job backlogs, since i have been laid off 3 times in the last 3 years. So far, so good here, and all things considered, it could be worse!

Now turn in your timecard today!! :deadhorse:


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## Capt Worley PE (Feb 7, 2008)

You have to do timecards???


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## ODB_PE (Feb 7, 2008)

Captain Worley said:


> You have to do timecards???


That's a good mini-topic for the 5000 post thread... look over there....


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## FusionWhite (Feb 11, 2008)

timmyutah said:


> I work for Stantec. Welcome aboard. Its nice to have a big company who is secure in job backlogs, since i have been laid off 3 times in the last 3 years. So far, so good here, and all things considered, it could be worse!
> Now turn in your timecard today!! :deadhorse:



Ha, yeah this place seems to be a big stickler on the old timesheet. Which works out really well since my last day is Friday! They can take that last timesheet and cram it where the Canadian sun doesnt shine.


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## RIP - VTEnviro (Feb 11, 2008)

> cram it where the Canadian sun doesnt shine


North of the Arctic Circle?


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## FusionWhite (Feb 15, 2008)

VTEnviro said:


> North of the Arctic Circle?



Where I think they should cram it is definately a circle.


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## Guest (Mar 5, 2008)

Wow .. I just heard from a colleague that Earth Tech was bought out by AECOM-M&amp;E. Press Release hmy:

The consulting world seems a little less safe one acquistion and/or merger at a time ...

JR


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