Pasadena-based Parsons Buys Williams Electric in an Expansion of Its Control Systems Business

Pasadena-based engineering services firm Parsons has acquired Williams Electric Company Inc. of Fort Walton Beach, Florida, as part of an expansion of its control system business in the U.S. and internationally.

The acquisition was concluded late last year.

Privately owned Williams Electric specializes in control system integration, electrical and general contracting, and energy infrastructure solutions, Parsons said in a press release. Williams Electric has offices in Virginia and Maryland and employees located at more than 100 customer sites in the United States and overseas. The company’s customers include numerous Department of Defense organizations and a wide range of other U.S. government agencies and organizations.

“This acquisition should be viewed as the latest investment within Parsons’ strategy to grow our leadership position in protecting critical infrastructure assets from threats targeting connected operational technologies, including control systems,” said Chuck Harrington, Parsons Chairman and CEO. “Operational technology (OT) is the new IT in terms of where cyber threats are accessing the connected enterprise. Our strategy is simple – integrate our growing control system leadership with Parsons’ unmatched cyber capabilities to fulfill our promise of unique, converged OT protection for critical infrastructure assets.”

Before the acquisition, both companies had already been sharing several significant customer relationships within the U.S. government, among them the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and some classified customer engagements.

Parsons said it is projecting significant U.S. and international growth of its control system business following the Williams Electric acquisition.

“Parsons’ existing contractual relationships with numerous customers within the Departments of Defense, Energy, and Veterans Affairs and elsewhere are ideal environments for our now expanded control system offering,” Carey Smith, president of Parsons’ Federal business unit, said. “And, certainly in regions such as the Middle East where Parsons has been a tier-one player for decades, Williams Electric will bring new opportunities on both sides of the acquisition.”

“Joining forces with Parsons was the right strategic move for both companies,” Dan Rucker, president of Williams Electric Company, said. “The market for converged critical infrastructure protection technology is evolving quickly, and the integration of our two companies creates a single-source end-to-end solutions provider for integrated physical and cyber protection solutions.”