MorePBS&J announced the acquisition of California-based W. Koo & Associates, Inc. (WKA), a consulting firm specializing in infrastructure improvements for public, municipal, transit, port authorities and private sector projects. WKA joined PBS&J as a division of the firm on July 1, 2004.
Founded in 1985, WKA has served many private companies and public agencies on engineering design projects with primary focus on transportation structures in California. The firm's project accomplishments encompass port and harbor assignments, freeways and highways, transit and rail facilities, and airport infrastructure.
WKA is noted for its work on the reconstruction of the Santa Monica I-10 freeway following the Northridge earthquake. The firm helped develop the first segment of the Metrolink Commuter Rail startup line from Los Angeles to El Monte and on the system of grade separations and rail crossings for the Alameda Corridor project through Los Angeles. As part of the program management team, WKA helped develop the 16-mile-long Gold Line LRT service from Los Angeles to Pasadena. Other key projects include the design of one of the first "green" mega-container terminals for China Shipping Line at Berths 100-102 in the Port of Los Angeles, development of one of the largest land-filled container wharfs for Maersk Sealand at Pier 400 in the Port of Los Angeles, and design of a new taxiway structure over World Way West for the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). WKA is working on the Sepulveda Tunnel structure strengthening and retrofit designs on the Center Taxiway project for LAX. WKA has also been an active design partner on many large-scale design-build projects, such as the $1-billion San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor project in Orange County and the $1.2-billion I-15 corridor in Salt Lake City.
WKA's 29 employees are located in Orange and San Jose, California. This boosts the number of PBS&J employees located in California to more than 200. PBS&J already maintains offices in San Diego, Encinitas, Irvine, and Riverside, California.
PBS&J (www.pbsj.com) is an employee-owned firm that provides infrastructure planning, engineering, construction management, and program management services to public and private clients. The firm is ranked by Engineering News-Record as 21st among the nation's top consulting firms and 2nd by CE News magazine among the "Best Civil Engineering Firms to Work For." PBS&J recently was awarded the American Business Awards' Stevie Award for Best Human Resources Organization. The firm has more than more than 60 offices and 3,300 employees across the nation and overseas and posted revenues of $389 million in 2003.
Source: PBS&J, July 1, 2004
