KANSAS CITY, MO After collaborating on projects for several decades, Burns & McDonnell is acquiring AZCO INC., one of the nation's premier industrial contractors. The acquisition creates one of the most comprehensive environmental, engineering, procurement, and direct-hire construction and fabrication companies in the world and enhances the suite of services available to clients.

"Acquisitions are common in our industry, but extremely rare at Burns & McDonnell," said Ray Kowalik, CEO-Elect, Burns & McDonnell Inc. "AZCO is a natural partner for us. Their industry-leading construction and pipe fabrication capabilities are a perfect fit into our multibillion dollar construction arm."

Kowalik says AZCO not only aligns with the firm's construction expertise, it also matches up with Burns & McDonnell's culture that is driven by an entrepreneurial spirit. Both organizations are 100 percent employee-owned.

"Together we share a unique blend of ownership culture and rich industry experience," said Kowalik who points out that AZCO brings 68 years of experience to Burns & McDonnell's 119 year-old firm. "This combination of specialized leadership and skill is what we can't wait to make available to our clients."

"At AZCO we repeatedly experience unprecedented growth and are getting ready to close out another record year. We look forward to joining the Burns & McDonnell family and continuing that growth while maintaining our local commitment to the community we call home in northeast Wisconsin," said President and CEO John Trottier. "We've worked closely with Burns & McDonnell on many successful projects in the power sector throughout the past 20 years."

AZCO employees will stay based in their Appleton, Wisconsin, headquarters and additional offices in northeast Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Colorado. AZCO's relationships with international trade unions will remain in place and they are eager to see these partnerships grow as business continues to grow.

"We believe the acquisition will magnify the strengths of both companies, allowing us to better achieve success together, than what we can do apart," said Kowalik.

The duo just completed an engineer-procure-construction project on the Empire Riverton Power Plant in Riverton, Kansas. The team converted an existing combustion turbine generator to a combined-gas-fired power facility. The high efficiency system will control fuel costs, lower emissions and provide reliable energy for consumers. The project recently received a Zero Injury Safety Award from the National Maintenance Agreements Policy Committee for completing more than 600,000 on-site labor hours and zero recordable injuries.

In addition to being known for its exceptional craftsmanship in construction, AZCO operates a 71,000-square-foot fabrication center that produces carbon steel, stainless, chrome-moly, and exotic alloy pipe and metal fabrication.

"This acquisition takes us to the next generation of service to our clients," said Kowalik.