Ten Movers and Shakers to Watch in 2026 

Ten Movers and Shakers to Watch in 2026 

1. ZenaTech (Toronto, Canada) (Nasdaq: ZENA): Leading the way with 16 acquisitions last year was this fast-growing Canadian firm. Founded in 2017, ZenaTech went public on the Nasdaq in October 2024 and has since accelerated its growth through acquisition, with management stating that it is ahead of its own expected timeline. ZenaTech aims to tap into the existing network and revenue of government and developer clients, offering modernized drone services and process automation while also cross-selling new products. Last year, the firm primarily acquired surveying firms—seven of which were headquartered in Florida and the rest in AZ, CA, CO, IL, NC, OR, UT, VA, and WA. The firm picked up 180 employees through acquisitions last year.

2. Verdantas (Tampa, FL) (ENR #81):  Backed by private equity firm Sterling Investment Partners since 2024, this integrated environmental science, engineering, and consulting firm with 2,260 employees and 99 offices announced 11 acquisitions last year—its second double-digit year. CEO Jesse Kropelnicki described the benefits of acquisitions as “strengthen[ing] Verdantas’ presence in key geographic markets…expanding our team of experts…[and] enhancing our integrated approach.” Verdantas leapt 32 places up the ENR Top 500 list and added almost 400 employees from tech-forward environmental science consulting firms and regional civil engineering practices across CA, CO, ME, NH, NJ, OR, and VA.

3. Consertus (Miami, FL): Backed by private equity firm RTC Partners, Consertus is a global capital program management and advisory firm that officially launched in October 2025 through the acquisition and integration of 10 firms. Integrated firms include OAC Services, Cotter Consulting, KKCS, and Acumenian along with technology additions such as Enstoa and Waycode. The result: a scaled CM/PM engine from New York to Seattle with sector depth in health care, aviation, public buildings, and infrastructure. The firm now stands at over 850 employees and has offices in CA, CO, CT, FL, IL, PR, NY, and WA.

4. Salas O’Brien (Irvine, CA) (ENR #31): Supported by a minority growth investment from Blackstone, employee-owned industry leader Salas O’Brien announced nine acquisitions in 2025. The firm, recipient of Morrissey Goodale’s 2023 Best Post-Transaction Performance Award, is now approaching 5,000 employees—with over 400 employees added from acquisitions last year alone. Focused on providing a broad range of engineering and technical consulting services, Salas O’Brien’s acquisitions added scale in MEP/structural, mission-critical, and facilities engineering. Chairman and CEO Darin Anderson shared “We don’t grow for growth’s sake—we grow to meet evolving needs, expand our capabilities, and create opportunities for our team.” Salas O’Brien welcomed firms based in CA, GA, ID, NC, NM, NY, OH, SC, and TN. Salas O’Brien rose eight spots up the ENR Top 500 this year, continuing its steady climb up the list.

5. Trinity Consultants (Dallas, TX): Trinity Consultants, an employee-owned firm backed by Oak Hill Capital Partners, announced 8 acquisitions that added 573 employees to the firm’s talent pool. Trinity has emphasized growth through acquisition over the last 15 years and received Morrissey Goodale’s 2024 M&A Best Practices Award. Now, over half of its current employees, clients, and revenue come from acquisitions. This year, Trinity notably acquired Jaros, Baum & Bolles (New York, NY), a firm ranked #235 on the ENR Top 500. Additional acquisitions were based in AZ, CA, CT, IL, MA, and OR. Trinity is ranked #66 on the ENR Top 200 Environmental Firms list, having moved up four places since 2024. 

6. LJA Engineering (Houston, TX) (ENR #52): Half of LJA’s eight announced deals were in its home state of Texas. Employee-owned industry leader LJA added almost 300 employees to its already impressive roster of talent and crossed the threshold of 3,000 employee-owners in 2025. Through its acquisitions, LJA has maintained a consistent culture and was awarded the #1 Top Workplace by USA Today in 2025. LJA advanced in transportation, land development, water, and survey/geomatics with acquisitions in AZ, FL, NC, and TX. The firm gained 15 places on the ENR Top 500.

7. Atwell (Southfield, MI) (ENR #70):  This fast-growing industry leader was a 2025 recipient of Morrissey Goodale’s Best M&A Post-Transaction Performance Award and announced seven acquisitions last year, including two by its subsidiary RVi. In 2025, it announced the largest acquisition in its history—Manhard Consulting (Lincolnshire, IL) (ENR #329)—which Atwell plans to leverage to strengthen its presence in key regional markets. In total, Atwell added over 500 employees in AZ, GA, IL, NC, TX, and WA and climbed a spot on the ENR Top 500. 

8. TIC Solutions (Hollywood, FL) (NYSE: TIC):  Launched as a rebrand of Acuren after the major merger with NV5 (ENR #26), TIC is a provider of tech-enabled testing, inspection, certification, and compliance (TICC) services and critical asset integrity solutions. Acuren and NV5 collectively completed 6 acquisitions in 2025 and now have a deep bench of talent, with 11,000 employees across 200 North American locations. 

9. Pape-Dawson (San Antonio, TX) (ENR #69): Pape-Dawson, backed by Palm Beach Capital, announced six acquisitions in 2025. These acquisitions were focused on growing and deepening service offerings in the Southeast and added over 250 employees to the firm. The firm acquired a trio of Florida-based firms, as well as firms headquartered in GA and KS. Pape-Dawson rocketed 24 places up the ENR Top 500. 

10. AKS Engineering and Forestry (Tualatin, OR): A newcomer to this list, AKS is a 30-year old, multi-disciplinary consulting firm providing civil engineering, surveying, natural resources, permitting, planning, and design services to a wide range of private and public clients throughout the Pacific Northwest. The firm recapitalized with Align Capital Partners in early 2025 and subsequently began a series of 6 add-on acquisitions across WA and OR, strengthening its regional presence and growing by over 60 employees.

What’s new with this year’s Movers and Shakers? More than half of these Movers and Shakers have something in common—backing from a private equity firm. We’re seeing these strategic investments accelerate deal activity, with 42% of acquisitions last year involving PE-backed acquirers or flat-out recapitalizations. 

Many thanks to Elysa Garcia, Data Manager, and Peter Frank, Research Manager, for compiling all of the information in this week’s article. 

You may connect with representatives from this year’s Movers and Shakers at our Southeast M&A and Business Symposium in Miami this March. This year the symposium also features two unique forums for industry CEOs to connect and network—curated CEO Connections Meetings and small-group CEO Networking Dinners. 

New for 2026 we’re launching The CEO Symposium in Dallas in May. This invitation-only event is exclusively for industry CEOs, presidents, and board chairs. We’ve designed it to meet the needs of CEOs who want to expand their peer networks, access real-time benchmarking intelligence, and engage with peers on the topics that are important to them.

Connect with Mick Morrissey at [email protected].