Nashville-based Littlejohn Engineering Associates has acquired GW Jones & Sons Consulting Engineers, a 127-year-old Huntsville, Ala. engineering and surveying firm.
“It is a pleasure to be able to continue the rich legacy of GW Jones. Each organization has a high level of respect for the other and it is our desire to continue to serve the healthy north Alabama markets more effectively than ever before,” said Jim Littlejohn, LEA’s president and a 1976 Vanderbilt civil engineering graduate.
Founded in 1886, GWJ will maintain its tradition of serving clients particularly in the transportation, aviation, industrial, municipal and utility sectors. The firm also will continue to operate in its downtown Huntsville office under the name “GW Jones & Sons Consulting Engineers.”
Out of respect for the rich legacy of participation in key infrastructure projects, the transition of the name to Littlejohn Engineering Associates will be gradual and not occur for approximately a year, and the entire GWJ staff is to remain in place, according to a company news release.
“The more I got to know Jim Littlejohn, the more convinced I was that LEA’s culture and direction were a perfect fit for our staff and client interests. A key factor was their commitment to continue the GWJ tradition of concentrating on our core services while at the same time drawing from LEA’s additional talents and resources to expand the services in the region,” said Mark Yokley, president of GW Jones and Sons. Yokley will transition to other GW Jones family interests after new office leadership is established.
Littlejohn agreed that strengthening its presence in northern Alabama was a logical step for the firm. “When we first discussed the possibilities with Mark Yokley last fall, it was evident that establishing a Huntsville office further demonstrates our commitment to the vital Northern Alabama region and allows us to expand our engineering relationship with a quality and reputable firm. The LEA Decatur office concentrates on environmental services, health and safety and industrial hygiene services and will remain in Decatur for closer proximity to its clients.”
Littlejohn has been a member of the Vanderbilt School of Engineering’s Engineering Alumni Council, and he is currently a member of the school’s new Board of Visitors, the successor organization to the school’s Committee of Visitors and the EAC.
Littlejohn Engineering Associates, established in Nashville in 1989, currently has 100 employees in six office locations in Nashville, Chattanooga and Tri-Cities, Tenn.; Decatur, Ala.; Phoenix, Ariz; and Orlando, Fla.