Network Connex Acquires Advantage Engineers

April 15, 2021 at 10:00 AM EDT

Network Connex, a Chicago-based provider of mission critical network deployment solutions in fiber optics, data centers, and wireless and video networks, with operations in the United States and Europe, announced today it has acquired Advantage Engineers. Advantage Engineers is based in Columbia, MD, and is a nationwide engineering and design firm bringing innovative solutions to telecommunications infrastructure projects. Advantage Engineers has substantial operations on the East Coast and on the West Coast, where it goes to market through its Synergy brand.

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Advantage Engineers offers specialized solutions, such as site acquisition, planning and surveying, civil, structural and electrical engineering, zoning and permitting, construction management, and inspection and verification for both wireless and fiber deployments. Advantage Engineers will operate under the Network Connex umbrella, forming the backbone of its Engineering & Professional Service Line and complementing Network Connex’s existing Fiber, Data Center, and Wireless and Construction Service Lines. Advantage Engineers will maintain both the Advantage Engineers and Synergy operating brands.

“The acquisition of Advantage Engineers aligns perfectly with Network Connex’s strategic objective to expand our engineering and professional services capabilities and strengthen our nationwide footprint, especially on the West Coast and in the Mid-Atlantic region,” said Jim Estes, CEO of Network Connex. “The combined offering will allow us to better serve our customers and provide an end-to-end solution, from initial design and engineering through construction, upgrades, and ongoing maintenance across data centers, fiber and wireless infrastructure.”

“We are very excited to join the Network Connex family,” said John McGrath, CEO of Advantage Engineers. “We see tremendous opportunities to continue to grow our business both organically and by joining forces with the other Network Connex service lines to serve our customers more holistically.”

Network Connex has continued to expand its operations across the country. In December 2019, it expanded its Fiber, Wireless and Construction Service Lines through the acquisition of Vertical Communications, LLC (VERTICOM), allowing Network Connex to offer turnkey solutions to the nation’s leading wireless, small cell and fiber providers in the South-Central United States. In June 2020, Network Connex expanded its Fiber Service Line through the acquisition of Precision Design Services, Inc. (PDS), a fiber network engineering business serving the greater New York area.

“Advantage Engineers is a leading network engineering and professional services provider that is a great fit with the broader offering of Network Connex’s existing service lines,” said Chris Suan, President and Senior Managing Director of ORIX Capital Partners, the private equity platform of ORIX Corporation USA, whose managed fund acquired Network Connex in November 2018. “This acquisition will deepen Network Connex’s strong customer relationships and significantly increase engineering and professional services capabilities, and allow Network Connex to provide an end-to-end service suite to blue-chip customers. We are excited to see Network Connex further benefit from the growth trends in the fiber, data center and wireless infrastructure space.”

Truist Securities acted as exclusive financial advisor to Advantage Engineers.

About Network Connex

A leader in mission-critical network deployment solutions, Network Connex provides premium services to the most sophisticated networking and data infrastructure companies throughout the United States and Europe. Our clients include data center operators, hyperscale cloud companies, wireless service providers, network service providers, cable MSOs and Fortune 500 enterprises. The company's comprehensive solutions platform includes fiber optics installation, splicing and testing, data center infrastructure deployment, and wireless network engineering and installation, which we perform through our Engineering & Professional Services, Fiber, Data Center, Wireless and Construction Service Lines. For more information, visit https://www.networkconnex.com

About Advantage Engineers, LLC

Advantage Engineers provides a full range of consulting and engineering services to guide wireless, broadband, and fiber infrastructure projects from design through deployment. With 18 locations, more than 300 highly trained staff, and Professional Engineers (P.E.) licensed in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, our agile workforce can rapidly accommodate your project's changing requirements. Our responsiveness to client needs, the latest technology and tools, fair pricing model, commitment to safety, and determination to stay ahead of industry trends position us as a top-ranked engineering firm. To learn more about Advantage Engineers, visit www.AdvantageEngineers.com

About ORIX Capital Partners

ORIX Capital Partners (OCP), the operationally-focused private equity team of ORIX Advisers, LLC and a wholly-owned subsidiary of ORIX Corporation USA (ORIX USA), manages a fund that seeks to make direct equity investments in established middle-market companies throughout North America, spanning a variety of industries, including industrial services, business services, and general industrials. For more information about OCP and its capabilities, please visit www.orixcapitalpartners.com.