Seattle-based structural and civil engineering company DCI Engineers Inc., which has a large Spokane office, has acquired Montana-based engineering firm Beaudette Consulting Engineers Inc., also known as BCE Structural Engineers.  

Financial terms of the transaction weren’t disclosed.

Craig Crowley, a Spokane-based principal with DCI, says the two companies had been discussing the possibility of joining for about a year. 

 “BCE is a well-established firm in Montana, with whom we’ve shared some overlap in clients,” Crowley says. “Their goal in recent years has been to expand westward, while DCI’s goal has been to add additional, experienced staff to our offices. In talking with them, we realized that this would be the perfect way for each company to achieve those goals.”  

Founded in Missoula in 1991, BCE has offices in Missoula, Bozeman, Kalispell, and Billings, with a total staff of 45 people. 

Crowley says BCE’s Montana offices will join DCI’s team of about 250 employees, spread across its 10 offices. In addition to the offices in Spokane and Seattle, DCI has three offices in California and one each in Oregon, Texas, Colorado, and Alaska. 

“Their staff will bring our total employee count up to 300 overall,” he says. “Our most recently opened office is the Denver, Colo., location, so we were already exploring a broader connection to the Mountain States. We’re looking forward to the added connection that BCE’s Montana offices will bring to those efforts.”

Crowley says the transition will start slowly, with BCE operating under the name DCI+BCE Engineers for about a year, before fully converting to the DCI name and logo. 

He says the two companies already have collaborated on several projects, and are open to moving and sharing staff amongst their locations. 

 “Our two companies share similar philosophies and talented staff, so we’re excited to be working together,” he says. 

Crowley says one new area of expertise BCE’s Montana offices will bring to the table is experience working with mass timber products. 

“They do a lot of custom designs using mass timber and cross-laminated timber products, which are becoming more popular at urban sites,” he says. “So we’re very interested in working with them to learn more about those processes.” 

Crowley says DCI’s Spokane office is projected to reach $6.5 million in revenue this year, up from $6.4 million last year.  

He says BCE’s offices have seen similar growth and strong profit margins. “Their performance has been strong across all four Montana offices, so I think they’ll join right in nicely.”

Crowley says DCI is always open to further expansions.

“In the past seven years, our company has grown substantially from five offices and 110 employees to 14 offices and 300 employees,” he says.