PASADENA, CA  Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. announces it completed its acquisition of J.L. Patterson & Associates (JLP), headquartered in Orange, California.

JLP is a consulting and professional services engineering firm specializing in rail planning, environmental permitting, design and construction management. It provides services to numerous public transit agencies and is a major provider of professional consulting services to Class 1 railroads across the U.S. Jacqueline Patterson, President of JLP, founded the company in 1990 as a certified Women Business Enterprise/Disadvantaged Business Enterprise.

"We are delighted to be combining forces with Jacobs," said Patterson. "This decision enables us to leverage the additional resources of the Jacobs network to meet the needs of our clients in a growing market. In addition, this move provides many additional opportunities for our employees to contribute to larger, more complex rail projects."

The acquisition significantly enhances Jacobs' overall rail services capability, positioning the company in the top tier of rail professional service providers in North America.

JLP's design concentration in the West Coast combined with Jacobs' national systems resources enables Jacobs to bid for full service programs in the growing U.S. West Coast rail markets, providing additional capacity to pursue the anticipated $17 billion commuter rail/transit capital programs. In particular, the acquisition increases the company's capability in supporting planning, design and construction management for North America's seven Class 1 railroads.

"We are delighted to welcome JLP to Jacobs," said Jacobs Senior Vice President Buildings and Infrastructure 
. "We are already very familiar with JLP's outstanding credentials, having worked closely with it to deliver rail projects for many years. JLP is a premier rail company that has grown rapidly to become a recognized leader in rail consulting. JLP's talented employees and its unwavering focus on quality, safety and client relationships align extremely well with our core values. As well as positioning us for Class 1 Freight rail opportunities, this acquisition means we can now leverage JLP's customer service model to meet the expanding rail needs of our industrial, oil and gas, and mining and minerals clients."