Hayward Baker Acquires Geo-Foundations Contractors

Hayward Baker

Todd Edmunds, founder of Geo-Foundations.

Hayward Baker announced that it has acquired Geo-Foundations Contractors Inc., a Canadian-based specialty geotechnical construction firm.

Geo-Foundations is now a subsidiary of Hayward Baker Canada Ltd. The entity retains the Geo-Foundations name. Todd Edmunds, the founder and leader of the business since 2001, will continue his active association with the enterprise as president of the new subsidiary.

Geo-Foundations serves the heavy civil, industrial, commercial, institutional and transportation infrastructure sectors of the Canadian construction industry. It specializes in foundation support, ground improvement and ground treatment projects.

Geo-Foundations’ wide-ranging offerings include specialty grouting services such as jet grouting, rock pressure grouting, soil permeation grouting and compaction grouting. It is also very active in rock and soil anchors, micropiles, soil nailing and other advanced technologies and techniques.

Geo-Foundations is recognized for its highly effective small-diameter drilling capabilities to create highly effective rock and soil anchors, as well as its sophisticated jet grouting skills.

Reflecting these capabilities, Geo-Foundations has participated in numerous high-visibility Canadian projects employing sophisticated engineering and technical skills. One such project was a grout trial program for a deep geologic repository being considered by the Nuclear Waste Management Organization for the long-term storage of radioactive waste at the Bruce Nuclear Generating Station, near Tiverton in Western Ontario.

Among noteworthy current projects, the West Toronto Diamond mass transit project involves jet grouting, sheet piling and drilled shafts installed by Geo-Foundations.

Another high-visibility project is the Union Station rehabilitation and expansion initiative in Downtown Toronto. Geo-Foundations is providing micropiles for excavation support as part of a project to add retail space on the lower floor of the train station.  The floor level is being lowered to accommodate the addition of retail stores.

Prior to establishing Geo-Foundations in 2001 and serving as its president since then, Edmunds was division manager with USL. He has more than 30 years of industry experience and is a founding delegate member of the International Society for Micropiles. Edmunds is also a member of the Deep Foundations Institute.

Commenting on the acquisition of Geo-Foundations, Edmunds said, “This is an exciting opportunity for all members of the Geo team. After interacting with Hayward Baker on several JV projects, it became apparent that both companies shared similar values and business focus. The opportunity to become part of an international organization further enhances our abilities to provide superior engineering and technology services to clients and meet the growing demands of our industry.”

Eric Drooff, president of Hayward Baker Canada, Ltd., echoed Edmunds’ comments. “Our two companies have worked closely on several key projects over the past three years.  During this time, we were impressed with the excellence of the company and its people. When the opportunity arose to join forces, it was clear that the team-oriented philosophies of our two firms were well-aligned – as well as our shared goals for expansion in the Canadian market.”

Drooff noted that because of the acquisition, new synergies  include a wider geographic reach for Hayward Baker across the entire country because Geo-Foundations’ strong presence in Ontario and Eastern Canada complements existing Hayward Baker offices in the western region. “We’re very excited about expanding our role in Canadian ground improvement projects of all types,” Drooff stated.

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