Excalibur Investment Banking Facilitates Merger between Core Design and Sanbell
Excalibur Investment Banking is pleased to announce that Sanbell and Core Design have joined forces helping to create a leading multi-discipline civil engineering and community design firm. The combination creates a 14-office, 300-person firm serving clients across the western United States from Puget Sound, Washington to Austin, Texas.
Founded in 1954 by civil engineer John B. Dodds, Core Design provides planning, landscape architecture, civil engineering, surveying, and construction managemagement services for private developers, landowners, and public agencies. The 70+ year old professional services firm has 80+ team members across its headquarters in Bothell, Washington and offices in Fircrest, Washington, and Austin, Texas. The partnership brings additional strength and expertise in civil engineering, land planning and development, water resources, floodplain mapping, land survey, landscape architecture, and arborist services to the Sanbell team.
The firms will continue to operate under their current brand names. Core Design Managing Principal, Glenn Sprague, will continue to lead the firm’s day-to-day operations, and Core Design CFO Lafe Hermansen will join the Sanbell Board of Directors. The combined organization will function as a single enterprise under the leadearship of current Sanbell CEO Michael Sanderson.
“When the opportunity arose to merge with Sanbell, a firm that shares our core values, we knew it was the right fit,” stated Core Design Managing Principal, Glenn Sprague. Sanbell’s “commitment to customer service and employee culture mirrors our own. In an industry that demands adaptability, this collaboration positions both organizations for continued success for our employees and our clients.”
“Core and Sanbell are such a great match,” explained Sanbell CEO Michael Sanderson. “Not just because of our complementary geographies and services, but because our people first cultures and community focused approach line up perfectly. By joining forces, we aren’t just getting bigger, I truly believe this will make both firms stronger.”
Excalibur Investment Banking was engaged by Sanbell to source and initiate the transaction. “Sanbell is one of the most dynamic and fastest growing engineering firms in North America. The firm’s growth trajectory and success is directly attributable to the culture, leadership, and team members that make up the organization. The firm is poised to ascend the ranks of the ENR 500 over the next decade,” said Edward Novicky, Managing Director of Excalibur Investment Banking.
About Sanbell
Sanbell is a multi-discipline community design firm providing civil infrastructure engineering, multi-modal transportation engineering, community planning, surveying and mapping, landscape architecture, and communications and visualization services to clients in the land development, public infrastructure, and energy and natural resource sectors. The 300 person firm was formed by the 2023 merger of Sanderson Stewart and Bellecci & Associates. Sanbell has 14 offices across the western United States including Billings, Bozeman, Helena, and Missoula, Montana; Concord, Pleasanton, Roseville, and Ventura, California; Fort Collins, Colorado; and Elko and Reno, Nevada. For more information, please visit the firm’s website at www.sanbell.com.
About Core Design
Core Design is a 80+ person full-service civil engineering, land surveying, planning, and landscape architecture firm headquartered in Bothell, Washington with additional locations in Fircrest, Washington and Austin, Texas. The Core Design story began in downtown Bellevue in 1954, when JB Dodds set out on his own as a professional engineer and land surveyor, laying the groundwork for what would become one of the Pacific Northwest’s most trusted civil firms. Since then, the Core team has delivered streetscapes, master-planned communities, transit corridors, and waterfront upgrades for many of the Puget Sound region’s most influential developers and public agencies. For more information, please visit the firm’s website at www.coredesigninc.com.
About Excalibur Investment Banking
Excalibur is an investment bank located in Washington, DC that represents clients in buy-side mergers & acquisitions, sell-side mergers & acquisitions, and capital raising transactions. The firm’s typical investment banking engagements range from $50 million to $1 billion in a wide array of industry sectors and geographies. Excalibur’s strengths lie in the middle market and in its relationships with shareholders who pride company culture, leadership, and legacy in parallel with company profits. More information on Excalibur can be found at www.excaliburib.com.
Contacts
Edward Novicky
Managing Director
Excalibur Investment Banking
001.202.669.0425