Storhaug Engineering Inc., a civil engineering, surveying, land-use planning, and landscape architecture firm based in Spokane, has purchased Hayden, Idaho, surveying company K.A. Durtschi & Associates Inc., says Jerry Storhaug, president and chief executive officer of Storhaug.

Durtschi & Associates will continue doing business under that name and will be a division of Storhaug, says Debbie Hayes, human-resources manager and accountant for Storhaug. Durtschi & Associates, founded in 1963, will continue providing surveying services, but also now will offer the same broader services as Storhaug.

Art Smalley, chief operating officer for Storhaug, says the company decided to acquire Durtschi & Associates because it wanted to be closer to clients and projects in Idaho.

Also, through the acquisition, Storhaug is getting an established client base for surveying work, and those clients are likely to need the civil engineering, landscape architecture, and land-use planning services that Storhaug can provide.

"Idaho has been a growing area, and we felt that by having a presence there we would be able to win a share of the expanding business," Smalley says.

He declines to say what assets were included in the acquisition.

The retiring owners of Durtschi & Associates, Jim Stillinger and Bud Sanders, both of Hayden, were seeking a buyer to take over their company that had the ability to ensure quality service to their clients after a sale, Smalley says.

Durtschi & Associates' Hayden office is located at 9751 N. Government Way, and occupies 1,000 square feet of space, Smalley says.

Storhaug occupies a 4,400-square-foot building at 510 E. Third, and the company's 24 employees will expand to 27 with the addition of the Durtschi & Associates employees, Hayes says.