Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Jan. 08, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- KCI Technologies Inc., a multi-disciplined engineering firm with offices throughout the United States, has acquired Keith & Schnars (K&S), a consulting firm specializing in engineering, construction inspection, surveying, landscape architecture, planning and environmental science. Based out of Fort Lauderdale, K&S has played a key role in Florida’s growing transportation infrastructure, commercial, residential, recreational, and educational markets.
K&S was founded in 1972 by Bill Keith and Tom Schnars. Upon the latter’s death in 1983, Tanzer Kalayci and Arnold Ramos joined the 10-person firm and began explosive growth to become Florida’s third-largest multi-disciplined engineering firm. As the firm expanded into different engineering and related service lines, its geographic reach spread across the state, and now includes offices in Jacksonville, Orlando, Lehigh Acres and Miami. K&S has a diverse client base that includes the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) as well as a host of county, municipal and private organizations.
“K&S’s long history, recognized technical expertise and reputation among industry peers are a perfect complement to our existing capabilities and planned geographic growth in Florida,” said KCI CEO and President Nathan J. Beil, PE. “Welcoming their team into KCI serves as both an in-state expansion of our existing construction engineering, communications and surveying service lines as well as a new presence in landscape architecture, planning and transportation design.”
Over the years, Keith & Schnars has worked on some of Florida’s most noteworthy projects, including development of the Sawgrass Mills Mall, the largest outlet and value retail shopping center in the United States, and the Sawgrass Expressway, a 21-mile-long electronic toll-way in Broward County. Their team also conducted more than 10,000 public meetings in support of the I-4 Ultimate Improvement Project in Orlando. More recently, the firm assisted in development of the state’s current landscape specifications and now provides landscape design and/or inspection services for FDOT Districts 1, 4, 6 and 7 and the Florida Turnpike Enterprise. K&S construction inspectors are onsite overseeing work on the four-mile $60 million Baldwin Bypass in Jacksonville and the $55 million widening of SR 82 including the state’s first continuous flow intersection at Daniels Parkway and Gunnery Road. This firm is also completing final design plans for FDOT’s first Statewide Acceleration and Transformation (SWAT) project—SR 714 Martin Highway in Martin County.
“KCI is a great strategic fit for us based on their corporate culture and similar service lines,” said K&S CEO Errol Kalayci. “Our combined experience and resources will lay the groundwork for a brighter and stronger future for the firm as well as opportunities for professional development and career growth for our team.”
Kalayci has spent much of his professional life with K&S, starting at the age of 14 as a draftsman. During his tenure, he served as a construction manager and inspector, geotechnical field technician and laboratory manager, corporate counsel and chief operating officer. He became chief executive officer, following the retirement of his father Tanzer in 2016. With KCI, Kalayci will take on the role of Corporate Counsel for the firm of 1,550.
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KCI Technologies - With sales in excess of $250 million in 2018, KCI Technologies Inc. is ranked among the top 500 engineering firms in the country by Engineering News-Record. Roughly 1,500 employee owners support clients from more than 40 offices throughout the U.S. KCI offers environmental, transportation, telecommunications, construction, facilities and land development services to government, institutional and private-sector clients. For more information, visit www.kci.com.
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