David Evans and Associates Inc. (DEA), an infrastructure design and professional services consulting firm based in Portland with an office in South Jordan, has acquired Salt Lake City-based Somers-Jaramillo & Associates (SJ&A). SJ&A is a public involvement consultancy that helps public project clients “engage with stakeholders in a meaningful way and develop and maintain positive relationships with affected communities throughout the life of a project and beyond,” the company said.
SJ&A employees have joined DEA’s Salt Lake City team in conjunction with the transaction, DEA said. With over a decade of experience in public involvement, Somers-Jaramillo & Associates, Inc. has facilitated decision-making processes for a variety of owners on topics ranging from land-use planning to road construction and from strategic business to communications planning, the release announcing the acquisition said. The SJ&A staff will augment DEA’s existing public involvement.
“Engaging in meaningful dialogue with the public allows the community’s values to be understood and incorporated into decisions that are important to them,” said R.A. Plummer, senior vice president of DEA. “DEA is pleased to welcome the SJ&A staff and expand these important services to support public agencies and communities throughout Utah.”
David Evans and Associates Inc. is owned by David Evans Enterprises Inc., which is the parent company of Flux Resources LLC and Disaster and Emergency Management Services International LLC, which provide staffing and recruiting services to public- and private-sector clients.
For 45 years, DEA has provided design services for transportation, water, environmental, land, energy and marine infrastructure systems. DEA’s staff includes engineers, surveyors, hydrographers, planners, landscape architects and natural resources scientists. DEA has 29 offices in 11 states and employs more than 800 people.