CH2M
Former global engineering and construction company, acquired by Jacobs.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
CH2M was a company providing engineering, procurement, construction, and management services, involved in major infrastructure projects. It was acquired by Jacobs Engineering Group in 2017.
History
CH2M was established in 1946 in Corvallis, Oregon, by Fred Merryfield, a civil engineering professor at Oregon State University, together with three of his students, Holly Cornell, James Howland, and Thomas Burke Hayes. The initials of the four founders became the basis of the company’s name. Its early identity was rooted in civil engineering and public works, but the firm gradually developed into a multidisciplinary professional-services organization. A major early structural change occurred in 1971, when the company merged with Clair A. Hill & Associates. The combined organization became known as CH2M HILL. The merger expanded the firm’s capabilities and helped establish the name that would later be associated with water, environmental, transportation, industrial, and government work. CH2M HILL remained based in Oregon until relocating its headquarters to Colorado in 1980. The company pursued expansion through acquisitions as well as project growth. In 1977 it acquired Black, Crow & Eidsness, adding environmental and engineering capabilities in the southeastern United States. During the 2000s it acquired or incorporated businesses including Gee & Jensen, DeMil International, EHS Consultants, Lockwood Greene Engineers, BBS Corporation, components of VECO, Trigon EPC, Goldston Engineering, and the transportation consulting unit of Booz Allen Hamilton. The 2011 acquisition of Halcrow Group substantially strengthened CH2M’s international engineering and infrastructure-consulting presence. In 2014 it acquired TERA Environmental Consultants, broadening environmental services for pipeline, powerline, and energy clients. CH2M became known for delivering complex programs rather than only individual design assignments. It developed the CH2M HILL Project Delivery System, a company-specific approach for organizing project planning, governance, design, construction, commissioning, and operations. Its work included infrastructure for cities and utilities, environmental cleanup at former industrial and nuclear sites, transportation systems, public-sector facilities, energy projects, and large international development programs. Among its notable assignments was participation in the Singapore Deep Tunnel System, intended to improve the reliability and operating efficiency of the city-state’s sanitary infrastructure. The company also participated in the closure and decommissioning of the Rocky Flats nuclear weapons facility through the Kaiser-Hill joint venture, supported Gulf Coast rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina, and worked on the relocation of American military facilities in South Korea. In the United Kingdom, CH2M and partners participated in preparations for the London 2012 Olympics and later served as program partner for the Crossrail transit expansion. The Panama Canal expansion became one of CH2M’s most visible international assignments. Selected by the Panama Canal Authority in 2007, the company managed a program involving new locks at both the Atlantic and Pacific ends of the canal. The completed expansion enabled the passage of larger New Panamax vessels and demonstrated CH2M’s role in complex, internationally significant infrastructure programs. The company also held major environmental responsibilities. In 2008, a CH2M subsidiary was selected to manage deconstruction and remediation of the Central Plateau at the Hanford Site in Washington. The program sought to reduce the site’s physical footprint while addressing contaminated facilities and legacy nuclear materials. Safety issues associated with work at Hanford later resulted in citations in 2019. Not all projects were financially successful. Reports identified significant losses on an Ichthys gas-field-related combined-cycle power project and on a toll-lane project in Austin, Texas. These difficulties, together with broader industry and corporate considerations, were cited as factors in the company’s eventual sale. In April 2015, CH2M simplified its external identity by dropping “Hill” from the brand and launching a revised logo. In 2017 it reiterated support for the Paris Agreement. Jacobs Engineering Group acquired CH2M in December 2017 for approximately $3.3 billion in cash and stock. Following the transaction, CH2M ceased operating as an independent corporate group, while its personnel, contracts, and capabilities were integrated into Jacobs. The CH2M name therefore represents a former independent engineering brand whose legacy continues through projects and practices absorbed by the acquiring company.
- 2017
Acquired by Jacobs
[1]Jacobs Engineering Group acquired CH2M in a cash-and-stock transaction valued at approximately $3.3 billion.
- 2015
Brand shortened to CH2M
[1]The company removed “Hill” from its public brand and introduced a new logo.
- 2011
Halcrow Group acquired
[1]CH2M acquired the United Kingdom-based engineering consultancy Halcrow Group.
- 2009
Crossrail program role
[1]A consortium led by CH2M was named program partner for London’s Crossrail expansion.
- 2007
Panama Canal expansion assignment
[1]The Panama Canal Authority selected CH2M to manage the expansion program.
- 2005
Rocky Flats closure work completed
[1]The Kaiser-Hill joint venture, involving CH2M, decommissioned and closed the former Rocky Flats nuclear weapons facility.
- 2003
Lockwood Greene Engineers acquired
[1]CH2M acquired Lockwood Greene Engineers and added its private-sector industrial design portfolio.
- 2000
Singapore Deep Tunnel System work
[1]CH2M joined a joint venture involved in replacing and improving Singapore’s sanitary-services infrastructure through the Deep Tunnel System.
- 1980
Headquarters moved to Colorado
[1]After remaining headquartered in Oregon for several decades, the company moved its headquarters to Colorado.
- 1977
Black, Crow & Eidsness acquired
[1]CH2M expanded its engineering and environmental footprint in the southeastern United States through the acquisition of Black, Crow & Eidsness.
Products and positioning
A global, technically oriented engineering and program-management firm focused on complex public infrastructure, environmental, water, transportation, energy, and government projects.
Professional services
Engineering and design services
CH2M provided multidisciplinary engineering and design services for public agencies, utilities, industrial companies, and governments. Work included civil, environmental, transportation, water, energy, and industrial engineering, often as part of larger programs involving feasibility, permitting, procurement, construction, and commissioning.
Infrastructure services
Program and construction management
Program management was a central part of CH2M’s business. The company coordinated large, multi-year infrastructure programs, integrating owners, designers, contractors, regulators, and suppliers. Its internally developed Project Delivery System provided a structured framework for project governance and delivery.
Water infrastructure
Water and wastewater infrastructure
The company planned, designed, managed, and supported operations for drinking-water, wastewater, sanitary, tunnel, and related municipal systems. Its water work ranged from local utility improvements to major international infrastructure, including participation in Singapore’s Deep Tunnel System.
Environmental services
Environmental remediation
CH2M advised clients on environmental compliance, site remediation, decommissioning, contaminated facilities, and restoration of industrial and government sites. Notable assignments included Rocky Flats and the Hanford Site, where the company worked on complex legacy nuclear cleanup and facility deconstruction programs.
Transportation engineering
Transportation and transit
Transportation capabilities included roads, toll facilities, ports, harbors, rail, and urban transit. CH2M participated in London Crossrail, London 2012 Olympic preparations, transportation consulting acquired from Booz Allen Hamilton, and other large public mobility programs.
Energy and industrial engineering
Energy and industrial project services
The company delivered engineering, procurement, construction-management, and advisory services for power, petroleum, gas, and industrial clients. Its portfolio included work connected with the Ichthys gas-field development, a Queensland gas-fired power plant, and other energy and industrial facilities.
Marketing campaigns
- 2017Support for the Paris Agreement
Global
CH2M reiterated its support for the Paris Agreement and associated climate objectives during a period when infrastructure and environmental firms were increasingly addressing decarbonization and climate resilience.
Outcome. The company was subsequently integrated into Jacobs.
- 2015CH2M brand refresh
Global
CH2M removed “Hill” from its public-facing name and introduced a new logo, presenting a shorter identity for its international engineering and consulting business.
Outcome. The CH2M identity was used until the company was acquired by Jacobs in 2017.
Brand decisions
2017
Sell the company to JacobsM&ABackground
CH2M had expanded into a large international engineering platform but had also faced losses on certain complex projects, including work related to the Ichthys development and an Austin toll-lane project.
Action taken
Jacobs Engineering Group acquired CH2M for approximately $3.3 billion in cash and stock.
Aftermath
CH2M ceased to operate as an independent company and its activities were combined with Jacobs.
Transaction value. Approximately US$3.3 billion (2017 acquisition)
2015
Adopt the CH2M nameStrategyBackground
After years of international expansion, the company pursued a shorter and more modern external identity.
Action taken
It dropped “Hill” from the public brand and launched a revised logo.
Aftermath
CH2M remained the company’s public identity until its acquisition by Jacobs.
1971
Merge with Clair A. Hill & AssociatesM&ABackground
The original Oregon engineering firm sought to broaden its capabilities and corporate scale through a combination with Clair A. Hill & Associates.
Action taken
The companies merged, creating the CH2M HILL identity.
Aftermath
The merged name became the company’s principal brand for more than four decades.
Recent events
- 2019
CH2M cited for safety violations at Hanford project[1]
Regulation · Other
After the company had been acquired, a CH2M-related Hanford project was cited for safety violations during work connected with one of the largest environmental cleanup programs in the United States.
- 2017
Jacobs agrees to acquire CH2M[1]
M&A
Jacobs Engineering Group announced an agreement to acquire CH2M in a cash-and-stock transaction. The deal was completed in December 2017 and ended CH2M’s independence.
- 2015
CH2M adopts shorter CH2M brand identity[1]
Other
The company removed “Hill” from its public branding and introduced a new logo as part of a brand refresh.
- 2007
CH2M selected to manage Panama Canal expansion[1]
Other
The Panama Canal Authority selected CH2M to manage the expansion program, including new locks intended to accommodate larger New Panamax vessels.
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