In June 2002, the Atlantic operations of Acres and The SGE Group formally merged to become SGE Acres Limited. Regional head offices were joined in Halifax and St. John's, and the new company now operates eight locations with a combined staff of 150. While cultural conflict is a natural concern in situations like this, the creation of SGE Acres was a definite exception. This merger benefits from years of cooperative experience between the two original companies - the largest and most recent example is the ongoing White Rose offshore oil and gas project. Such collaborations, together with a healthy dose of maritime pragmatism, went a long way in making this transition far easier than most.

Already, significant projects have been won; there has been no downsizing; revenues and profits have grown; and client feedback on job quality and service has been most complimentary. As well, the combined human resource base results in substantial daily work sharing between offices - realistically enhancing each location's talent pool.

Among the many large and successful SGE Acres ventures are the Voisey's Bay nickel development in Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Autoport marine facility in Nova Scotia. Following are brief summaries of those projects.

Voisey's Bay

The Voisey's Bay nickel development is one of Canada's largest mining projects. It involves a mine and concentrator in Labrador and a hydrometallurgical facility more than 800 km south in Argentia. SGE Acres is working on the Argentia site with Hatch Associates in a new company called SGE Hatch Ltd. The project is being led from the SGE Acres St. John's office, with specialized process work being done at Hatch's office in Mississauga and support by Acres in Oakville. This is a prime example of SGE Acres leveraging location and skills to enter a new market area.

Autoport Marine Facility, Halifax

Halifax, with its world-class docking and storage facilities, is a major entry port for large ships transporting automobiles to North America from Europe. SGE Acres has a long-term contract to provide engineering services to Canadian National in Atlantic Canada. When it became apparent that the existing wharf had deteriorated structurally, SGE Acres was asked to develop options for the restoration. The Moncton office manages the CN contract while major project work is being done in Halifax, with specialist input from Acres staff in Niagara and Calgary. While the strong SGE Acres connection made this project possible, success was entirely dependent on the wider range of expertise available throughout the Acres network. The implementation of this project should be a textbook case in inter-office cooperation.

Many other projects could equally demonstrate the efficiency and innovation at work in SGE Acres. On the horizon are major highway, thermal power, offshore oil and gas, hydroelectric and infrastructure projects.

As with most accomplishments, it all boils down to the people involved and their level of commitment. Therefore, this success story should come as no surprise. SGE Acres management and staff have all taken a positive and proactive approach to integrating procedures and responsibilities between offices. A vibrant, entrepreneurial spirit continues to thrive, and the new company is a strong and profitable engineering force in Atlantic Canada.

The SGE Acres merger is a success story of which we are all quite proud.

For further information, please contact: