The state’s largest engineering firm just got a good bit bigger. The Thrasher Group, based in Bridgeport and an ENR 500 engineering, architecture, and field services firm, announced today it is acquiring substantially all the assets of Blue Mountain, Inc., a 100-plus person West Virginia-based survey, mapping and engineering firm out of Wadestown in Monongalia County.

 

Now, that company will fall under the Thrasher umbrella that has its roots in the White Oaks Development. According to Chad M. Riley, PE, the CEO of Thrasher, Blue Mountain staff will stay in their current location of operation.

 

“They’re located right in the heart of the Appalachian basin where the petro chemical industry is expected to emerge, which helps make this a critical acquisition,” said Riley. “Bigger than that is that this company consists of West Virginia people. That’s very important.”

 

Thrasher’s business, which has long been in growth mode, has seen an explosion in numbers in recent years. Those numbers have only been enhanced by the emergence and resurgence of the oil and gas industry in West Virginia and beyond.

 

The acquisition, said Riley, puts Thrasher at the 500 employee mark. Those employees are spread out over nine offices in seven states.

 

“We’ve always been a growth company and it’s not necessarily been a planned thing. We grow to serve because that’s who we are,” said Riley. “When you look at the national economy and the state economy, we’re seeing growth in almost every division we have and the real fuel has been the oil and gas industry along with the pipelines and the highway bond projects.

 

“We believe this is going to continue on the growth front for some time,” he continued. “It’s larger than any of us ever thought it would be, but we’re still able to continue to do the things we’ve always done along with the things our growth and this acquisition will allow us to do and do better. What we’ve always done and will continue to do is serve the community.”

 

Riley said Blue Mountain brings talented employees and services, many of which Thrasher offers, to the mix. He said Blue Mountain has one thing that will definitely assist Thrasher on projects moving forward.

 

“They have one of the most sophisticated drone systems in the country. There are less than 10 in operation similar to what they have,” said Riley.

 

Ken Moran, the COO and President of Thrasher whose time with the company dates back to its presence in downtown Clarksburg, was also pleased with what Blue Mountain adds. More believes it not only will enhance operations, but provide an even higher level of service to clients.

 

“We’re going to take the specialties they bring and put together one of the largest geotechnical service firms on the east coast,” said Moran, who pointed out Thrasher now has a survey staff of more than 200 individuals. “The combination will improve survey crews, aerial topography, ground scanning of slips, buildings, bridges and full GIS services and that doesn’t even count the video component available.

 

“This truly opens up a full graph of services that go beyond the gas lines,” Moran continued. “With crews from North Caroline to Pennsylvania, this will greatly enhance the existing services and products.”

 

Riley said it was an easy decision to keep the current office of Blue Mountain and their employees in place.

 

“In this modern day and time it’s not an issue to work like that. What’s more important is that is their home and where they want to work,” said Riley. “They can travel from there and are already traveling from there as work dictates. We feel  it’s a good move and we’re confident we’re continuing to do good things for our state.”

 

Blue Mountain’s President was pleased with that decision, as well as becoming part of the Thrasher Group.

 

“We are very excited to be able to join forces with The Thrasher Group, Inc. and allow our employees the opportunity to continue working in Wadestown,” said President of Blue Mountain, Doug Six. “We know this will be an excellent opportunity for our employees and clients. The services of BMI and Thrasher are a great compliment to one another and we look forward to a very bright future.”

 

Riley echoed what the acquisition will provide.

 

“Together, Thrasher and Blue Mountain will be one of the Mid-Atlantic region’s most comprehensive survey and mapping providers. Our broadened capabilities will allow us to continue to carry out our mission of improving the communities where we live and work through driving infrastructure development,” Riley said.

 

According to a press release from Thrasher, Blue Mountain is a respected consultant for a variety of natural gas, mining, and governmental clients throughout the Appalachian region. They provide a full suite of geospatial services including geographic information systems (GIS), land surveying, scanning, advanced photogrammetry, LiDAR and aerial mapping for which they are a recognized industry leader. Their civil design and environmental permitting capabilities will bolster existing services provided by Thrasher as well as add new offerings such as asset management and One-Call services.

 

Editor's Note: Pictured, from left, at the top is The Thrasher Group's CFO Ron Stanley, CEO Chad Riley, and COO and President Ken Moran.