Haskell adds Leidos, Revives Benham

Welcome aboard! Building security will soon be adding hundreds of new employee names to its Haskell database.

by MICHAEL ARMSTRONG | March 24, 2016

Design-builder Haskell is about to grow by more than 50%.

This week, the 800-person, Jacksonville, FL-based firm said it will acquire Reston VA-based Leidos Constructors, LLC, as well as select design assets of Leidos Engineering. In the end, some 450 employees will be added to Haskell’s rolls. Prior to 2007, Leidos, an accomplished industrial builder and federal contractor, had operated for nearly a century as “Benham.” That name will return this spring when Leidos is officially rebranded as “Benham, a Haskell Company.”

“Two pioneers unite to shape the future of EPC delivery”

Haskell‘s Halverson.

“The partnership presents a strategic growth opportunity to leverage abundant talent and expertise to produce creative solutions that meet the demands of the AEC industry,” said Steve Halverson, Haskell CEO. “We share a culture of customer service and innovation and are poised to solidify our market leadership position.”

Founded in 1909, Benham’s expertise spans oil, gas, and chemical production; food and beverage manufacturing, consumer products manufacturing, the federal government market and transportation.

Benham‘s Gwyn

“Joining forces with Haskell was a natural next step for us,” added Leidos President Mike Gwyn, who now becomes Benham President. “Haskell’s ability to provide fully integrated solutions will complement our design and project management expertise, and help us grow our customer base across the industry.”

The $175-million construction business now joins with Haskell’s existing $600-million portfolio and brings with it operations in Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri and North Carolina, among other offices. The deal is expected to formally close next month.

Meanwhile, the sale will enable the remaining Leidos parent to concentrate its focus, expertise and capabilities on developing innovative national security solutions to drive better outcomes and defend digital and physical infrastructure from new world threats.

“Our strategic engineering capabilities have shifted over the past 18-24 months,” explained Leidos Chair and CEO Roger Krone. “That shift, coupled with our observation of infrastructure market conditions, challenged us to adjust our core focus… (So) we are concentrating our efforts on the new market opportunities created by the convergence of the physical, digital, and data worlds.”

For more on this news, including the original press release, click here.