Verdantas expands Midwest remediation and brownfield redevelopment capabilities with acquisition of Environmental Protection Industries. July 30, 2026 Verdantas, a leader in digitally enabled technical consulting for the environment, water, and energy transition markets, announced today its acquisition of Environmental Protection Industries (EPI), a full-service environmental consulting and remediation firm headquartered in South Holland, Illinois. The acquisition expands Verdantas' presence across the Midwest, into Illinois and Chicago specifically, and strengthens the firm's capabilities in complex remediation and brownfield redevelopment. Founded more than 30 years ago, EPI serves public and private sector clients throughout the Great Lakes region, with a long-standing focus on complex, environmentally challenged sites in and around Chicago. What differentiates EPI is its ability to integrate remediation, regulatory execution, and site development activities into a cohesive approach that reduces risk, shortens timelines, and improves cost certainty for brownfield projects. EPI brings deep expertise across environmental investigation, remediation, geotechnical engineering, and construction-phase environmental services, allowing clients to move efficiently from assessment through redevelopment under a single, coordinated delivery model. This integrated delivery model has been applied across more than 100 redevelopment projects and has positioned EPI as a trusted partner for clients navigating regulatory complexity, contaminated soils, and redevelopment constraints in urban and industrial environments. Jesse Kropelnicki, CEO of Verdantas, said, "EPI adds a highly complementary set of capabilities to Verdantas, particularly in complex remediation and brownfield redevelopment. Their experience integrating environmental investigation, remediation, and development-phase execution strengthens our ability to support clients across the full project lifecycle in this geography. This acquisition meaningfully expands our Midwest footprint into Illinois and the Chicago area while reinforcing our strategy of building a technically deep, integrated consulting platform." EPI's leadership team will continue to lead the business following the transaction, working closely with Verdantas to expand the firm's geographic reach and apply its integrated redevelopment expertise across a broader geographic market. "EPI has always focused on helping clients move complex sites forward by bringing accountability, regulatory expertise, and execution under one roof," said Michael Musa, President and CEO of EPI. "Joining Verdantas allows us to scale that approach, expand into new markets, and deliver even greater value to clients as part of a broader, multidisciplinary platform." "EPI is a strong strategic addition to the Verdantas platform," said James Soldano, Managing Partner at Sterling Investment Partners. "The company's depth in remediation and brownfield redevelopment and its ability to support projects from investigation through execution align well with Verdantas' long-term growth strategy." Clients of both Verdantas and EPI will benefit from expanded expertise in complex remediation, stronger regional coverage, and the combined strength of an integrated environmental and redevelopment consulting platform.

Verdantas, a technical consulting firm focused on environment, water, and energy transition markets, has acquired EN-POWER GROUP, a New York-based engineering firm founded in 2003. The acquisition strengthens Verdantas' capabilities in energy efficiency, decarbonization, and sustainability services for facility owners and institutions. EN-POWER specialises in energy engineering, building performance regulations, and compliance, particularly in urban markets. The firm provides services including engineering design, construction management, and sustainability consulting for existing and new construction projects. The addition expands Verdantas' presence in New York City and enhances its ability to help clients navigate building performance regulations whilst advancing energy efficiency goals. Verdantas currently employs over 2,540 professionals nationwide. Sterling Investment Partners, Verdantas' private equity backer, noted the acquisition aligns with the firm's strategy of building specialised market-leading capabilities. PHG Advisory served as buyside adviser on the transaction.

Verdantas, a digitally enabled technical consulting firm, has acquired American Engineering & Environmental Consultants (AEEC), a technology-driven environmental engineering firm based in Reston, Virginia. The acquisition strengthens Verdantas' ability to deliver integrated solutions combining engineering, environmental services, and digital capabilities across federal and commercial markets. Founded over 30 years ago, AEEC brings expertise in environmental remediation, compliance, and long-term monitoring, alongside digital capabilities including data analytics, automation, and applied artificial intelligence. The firm's work has been featured in a Harvard Business School case study, and it holds patented Smart Water Data Analytics technology for infrastructure modernisation. The deal expands Verdantas' presence to over 2,485 professionals nationwide. Sterling Investment Partners backed the transaction, with EFCG serving as adviser to Verdantas.