ST. LOUIS and GONZALES, Texas –The HFW Companies (HFW), a fast-growing professional services firm in the architecture and engineering (AE) industry, has formed a strategic growth partnership with Southwest Engineers, a 47-year-old civil engineering firm located centrally between Austin and San Antonio, Texas.
Southwest Engineers, with more than 75 employees across offices in Gonzales, Buda, Bastrop, Round Rock, and Cuero, Texas, will keep its name as part of the deal and continue to build its own legacy in markets across Texas, according to John Littlefield, the president of Southwest Engineers. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Southwest Engineers represents the 10th direct partner AE firm to join HFW’s growing national network of partner firms since HFW’s inception in 2020 — and the fourth Texas-based AE firm to join. This deal collectively raises the total number of HFW Partner Network employees to more than 700 professionals.
HFW’s long-term vision: to build a preeminent network of AE legacy partners across a national footprint that provides a gateway to accelerated growth and leverages its partners’ collaborative expertise, according to Michael Hein, AIA, chief executive officer of HFW.
Launched in 1978 by John Littlefield’s father, Clarence Littlefield, Southwest Engineers provides civil engineering, water infrastructure, wastewater, reclaimed water, land development, land acquisition, and right-of-way acquisition throughout metro and rural Texas. The firm’s mission statement: “We are here to honor and serve our faith, family, and community.”
“We’ve been watching Southwest Engineers build its business for some time, and we’re tremendously impressed by the firm’s drive, expertise, and a dynamic work culture in serving both metro and rural markets in central Texas,” said Hein. “Southwest Engineers has a strong reputation across Texas for its public infrastructure work, setting itself up for enormous future potential to expand into other metropolitan areas of Texas and beyond. As Southwest Engineers’ new growth partner, we’re looking forward to supporting the firm’s efforts in pursuing those opportunities.”
Southwest Engineers approached the HFW partnership opportunity, Littlefield said, as a deal that will allow the firm to more strategically build a sustainable and client-focused engineering practice that protects its clients’ interests and strengthens those relationships.
“We are extremely proud of the work Southwest Engineers has done for nearly 50 years and the clients and communities we have served,” he said. “We are very excited for the opportunity to continue that service, grow our firm, and be part of The HFW Partner Network.”
Southwest Engineers joins a growing portfolio of AE firms that also includes locations in the following areas: Las Vegas; Kansas City; the Iowa cities of Des Moines, Iowa City, and Waterloo; the South Carolina cities of Charleston, Aiken, and Hilton Head; Augusta, Georgia; and multiple locations throughout Florida and Texas.
HFW has built its HFW Partner Network on what Hein describes as a “House of Brands” concept, which builds on the long-term success of the growth-oriented legacy firms in HFW’s portfolio. These Partner firms then leverage the collective network, sharing best practices, economies of scale, unique areas of expertise, and collaborative business development opportunities, while continuing to build their own legacy brands in their own regions and beyond.
“We see this partnership as an opportunity to continue growing, serving more communities, utilities, developers, and landowners,” Littlefield added. “The growth opportunities with HFW as a partner have tremendous potential for Southwest Engineers and our team members.”
About The HFW Companies
HFW is an AE industry professional services company investing in architecture and engineering firms that serve metropolitan and infrastructure markets and are open to aligning with partners for growth. Its network of partner firms, grounded in technical excellence, collectively solves some of the most critical challenges facing the built environment, improving communities through creative design, engineering, and planning.
For more information about HFW, contact Daniel Bates, director of communications, at 412.310.3167 or at daniel.bates@hfwcompanies.com. Or visit: www.hfwcompanies.com
For more information about Southwest Engineers, contact Brett Dvorak, chief operating officer, at 512.222.4964 ext. 516, or at Brett.dvorak@swengineers.com. Or visit www.swengineers.com.