TBT Engineering acquires Profor Engineering Services Ltd.

Rob Frenette says his company’s acquisition of Profor Engineering Services Ltd. was a lot like a shotgun wedding.

It happened very quickly, said Frenette, president of TBT Engineering Consulting Group, making the merger official on Thursday afternoon.

More importantly, it’s created a much stronger company able to offer a wider variety of services in Northern Ontario.

TBT Engineering has been a major driver behind the twinning of the highway between Thunder Bay and Nipigon, while Profor lists the waterfront pavilion and the Baggage Building at Prince Arthur’s Landing are a pair of projects Profor Engineering has helped design and build.

“Really what this provides is beyond the civil base that TBT Engineering has been building on over the last 20 years with the electrical engineering and mechanical services that we’ll collaboratively work more effectively on building projects, restoration projects and new builds.”

The new division, one of 13 under the TBT umbrella, will be known as TBT Engineering – Profor Division, and adds 10 employees to the company’s total, which numbers about 150.

It’s TBT’s largest acquisition to date in the company’s 20-year history.

Profor’s Franco Gorenszach, said they’re excited about the opportunity to work with a larger client base.

“And to be able to draw on the structural department to work with us now, we’re going to be able to bid on more jobs in the future,” he said.

“It’s a great fit for our culture, which is a lot like their culture.”
Frenette believes they are now the largest independent engineering firm operating in Thunder Bay.