View source for URS Corporation

{{Short description|Former American diversified engineering firm}}
{{Infobox company
| name             = URS Corporation
| logo             = The logo of URS Corporation.jpg
| type             = [[Subsidiary]]
| traded_as        = 
| fate             = Acquired by [[AECOM]]
| foundation       = {{Start date and age|1951}}
| defunct          = {{End date|2014}}
| location         = [[Transamerica Pyramid]]<br>San Francisco, [[California]], [[United States]]
| key_people       = Martin M. Koffel ([[Chief executive officer|CEO]] from 1989 to 2014)
| industry         = [[Engineering]]<br>[[Architecture]]<br>[[Construction]]<br>[[Planning]]<br>[[Management]]<br>[[Information Technology]]<br>[[Operations management|Operations]]<br>[[Ship decommissioning|Decommissioning]]
| products         = 
| area_served      = [[World]]wide
| revenue          = {{profit}} US$ 10.6 billion (''2012'')
| operating_income = {{profit}} US$ 600 million (''2012'')
| net_income       = {{profit}} US$ 400 million (''2012'')
| assets           = {{increase}} US$ 7.04 billion (''2012'')
| equity           = {{increase}} US$ 3.905 billion (''2009'')
| num_employees    = {{increase}} 56,000  (''2012'')
| parent           = [[AECOM]]
| subsid           = 
| footnotes        = 
}}

[[File:URSCanada.JPG|thumb|URS in Canada]]

'''URS Corporation''' (formerly '''United Research Services''') was an [[engineering]], [[design]], and [[construction]] firm and a U.S. federal government contractor.  Headquartered in San Francisco, [[California]], URS was a full-service, global organization with offices located in the [[Americas]], [[Europe]], [[Africa]], and [[Asia-Pacific]].

URS was acquired by [[AECOM]] on October 17, 2014.

==History==
URS Corporation’s oldest predecessor company was founded in 1904. URS was established in 1951 and incorporated in 1957 as Broadview Research – a research group active in the area of physical and engineering sciences. In 1967, management developed a growth strategy focused on building a multidisciplinary professional services firm. In 1968, Broadview Research acquired United Research Incorporated of Cambridge, Massachusetts. During this period, the name Broadview Research was changed to United Research Services and later shortened to URS.

URS was publicly traded as {{NYSE|URS}} from January 13, 1978 through its acquisition by AECOM on October 17, 2014. It was originally traded as Thortec.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=URS Corp.|url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/URS_Corp.aspx|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia.com|access-date=October 12, 2015}}</ref> A major investor was [[Richard C. Blum|Richard Blum]], husband of Senator [[Dianne Feinstein]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Madsen |first1=Wayne |title=URS Corp., which is partly owned by Sen. Dianne Feinstein's husband, Richard Blum, and which obtained EG&G from the Carlyle Group in 2002, recently received a direct, no-bid contract to perform engineering work in Afghanistan |url=https://www.waynemadsenreport.com/articles/20070423_22 |website=Wayne Madsen Report}}</ref>

As of June 2013, the firm had more than 50,000 employees worldwide, in nearly 50 countries.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.urscorp.com/About_URS/index.php?s=2 |title=URS Corporation > About Us > History|access-date=2010-07-31}}</ref>

===Activist investor demands and sale of company===
Following announcements in early February 2014 that the fiscal year 2013 revenue and earnings were below expectations, URS made some management changes.<ref name="StockTumbles">Rubin, Debra K. (February 13, 2014). [http://enr.construction.com/business_management/companies/2014/0213-urs-stock-tumbles-on-weak-yearend-results-and-outlook.asp URS Stock Tumbles on Weak Year-End Results, Outlook]. ''[[Engineering News-Record]]''. Accessed on October 12, 2015.</ref> URS had acquired Flint Energy Services for $1.25 billion in February 2012, creating an oil and gas division for the company.<ref>Vanderklippe, Nathan (February 20, 2012). [https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/energy-and-resources/urs-acquires-flint-energy-for-125-billion/article547590/ URS acquires Flint Energy for $1.25 billion]. [[The Globe and Mail]]. Accessed on October 12, 2015.</ref> Issues in the oil and gas division were cited for the poor financial performance in fiscal year 2013 and URS announced the resignation of senior staff from that division.<ref name="StockTumbles" /> By the end of February 2014, the hedge fund Jana Partners disclosed that they had acquired an [[activist investor]] ownership position in the publicly traded company, announcing an intent to engage the corporate management on board and corporate structure and to create shareholder value.<ref>Nelson, Samantha (April 1, 2014). [http://marketrealist.com/2014/04/jana-partners-discloses-activist-stake-urs/ Rosenstein’s JANA Partners buys an activist stake in URS Corp.] ''Market Realist''. Accessed on October 12, 2015.</ref>

Amidst industry speculation of a [[divestment|corporate breakup]] for URS, AECOM announced on July 13, 2014 that an agreement was reached to acquire URS for about $4 billion in cash and shares with another $2 billion in assumed debt.<ref>''Reuters'' (July 13, 2014). [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-urs-aecom-tech-idUSKBN0FI0UA20140713 AECOM to pay $4 billion for engineering firm URS Corp]. Accessed on October 12, 2015.</ref><ref>Rubin, Debra K. (July 23, 2014). [http://enr.construction.com/business_management/companies/2014/0713-aecom-agrees-to-purchase-urs-in-estimated-6b-deal.asp Connection Challenges Seen in AECOM's $6B Plan to Buy URS]. ''[[Engineering News-Record]]''. Accessed on October 12, 2015.</ref> The final acquisition was decided on October 17, 2014, and URS was officially part of AECOM as of October 20, 2014.

== Mergers and acquisitions ==
In 1996, URS acquired [[J. E. Greiner Company|Greiner Engineering]] for $73.5 million.<ref>[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B07EFDC1039F931A25752C0A960958260 COMPANY NEWS]-URS ACQUISITION OF GREINER IS PUT AT $73.5 MILLION, New York Times, January 12, 1996.</ref> Greiner Engineering had been established in 1908 by John E. Greiner.  Greiner was a former bridge engineer for the [[Baltimore and Ohio Railroad]] and worked at one time for [[Gustav Lindenthal]], including on the [[Andy Warhol Bridge|Seventh Street Bridge]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Weingardt |first=Richard |title=Engineering Legends |url={{Google books|id=035S8UOIzcEC|plainurl=yes}} |access-date = 2018-01-03 |date=2005 |publisher=ASCE Publications |isbn=978-0-7844-0801-8 |pages=42–45 }}</ref>

URS acquired the Denver, Colorado based civil, geotechnical and environmental engineering firm Woodward-Clyde Group in 1997 for $100 Million, bringing additional environmental capabilities and a broader international presence to the organization.<ref>{{cite news |title=URS, Building on Acquisition, Could Have More Room to Rise |first=Sheila |last=Muto |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |date=September 10, 1997 }}</ref>  When Dames & Moore Group joined in 1999 (which had recently absorbed the Australian firm [[Hardcastle & Richards]]), URS further strengthened its program and construction management expertise and added to its FORTUNE 500 client base.<ref>{{cite news |title=URS Corp. to Buy Dames & Moore Group In $312 Million Deal |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |date=May 6, 1999}}</ref> In February 1999, URS also acquired transport consultant Thorburn Colquhoun.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/URS+Corp.+Acquires+United+Kingdom's+Thorburn+Colquhoun%3B+Combination...-a053671938 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305020135/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/URS+Corp.+Acquires+United+Kingdom's+Thorburn+Colquhoun;+Combination...-a053671938 |archive-date=2016-03-05 |title=URS Corp. Acquires United Kingdom's Thorburn Colquhoun; Combination Expands URS' Presence in Europe. - Free Online Library}}</ref>

In 2002, URS acquired EG&G Technical Services, positioning the company as a leading U.S. federal services contractor.<ref>{{cite news |title=URS says agrees to buy EG&G for $500 million|newspaper=Reuters |date=July 17, 2002}}</ref>

In November 2007, URS acquired [[Washington Group International]] of [[Boise, Idaho|Boise]] for $3.1B and operated it as the "Energy and Construction Division".<ref>{{cite news |title=Washington Group shareholders approve $3.2 billion buyout, creating construction giant|first=Todd |last=Dvorak |newspaper=Associated Press |date=November 15, 2007}}</ref>

On June 12, 2009, URS Chief Executive Officer Martin Koffel indicated the company was still on the hunt for "transformative acquisitions". An analyst with Gabelli & Co. stated that [[KBR (company)|KBR]], [[Chicago Bridge & Iron Company]], and [[Foster Wheeler AG]] may be possible takeover targets.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aJD6ms7nbPH0 | work=Bloomberg | title=URS Seeks 'Transformative Acquisitions' for Growth (Update2) | date=June 12, 2009}}</ref>

On September 10, 2010, URS completed its acquisition of the British engineering firm [[Scott Wilson Group]].<ref>[http://www.marketwatch.com/story/urs-completes-acquisition-of-scott-wilson-group-2010-09-10?reflink=MW_news_stmp MarketWatch.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

On June 2, 2011, URS completed its acquisition of Apptis Holdings, Inc. for a purchase price of $260 million in cash.<ref>[http://www.4-traders.com/URS-0-01-14760/news/URS-0-01-URS-Completes-Acquisition-of-Apptis-Holdings-Inc-13651509/ URS 0.01 : URS Completes Acquisition of Apptis Holdings, Inc. | 4-Traders<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

URS announced its acquisition of Flint Energy Services, a provider of construction services in the oil and gas industry, based in Calgary, Alberta, on February 20, 2012.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8b3d7000-5c19-11e1-bbc4-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1sVryZ1KM |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/9LPQl |archive-date=2022-12-11 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live| work=[[Financial Times]] | title=URS Agrees to Buy Flint Energy |first=James |last=Shotter |date= February 20, 2012 }}</ref>

On October 20, 2014, URS was officially acquired by AECOM.

==Projects==
URS provided ongoing management and operation of the 4,200-acre Kennedy Space Center complex, including its 900 mission-specific facilities, 16,000 unique NASA systems and equipment, and 600 unique U.S. Air Force systems and equipment.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=25700| work=Space Ref | title=URS to Provide Services at NASA's Kennedy Space Center |date= June 19, 2008 }}</ref>

In the United Kingdom, a URS-led team was responsible for management and operation services at the [[Sellafield]] nuclear complex, including commercial operations, waste management, support services, decontamination and decommissioning, and new construction projects. Sellafield is one of the largest and most complex nuclear sites in the U.K., storing and treating nuclear waste from both the U.K.'s military and civil nuclear programs.  URS lost this contract in January 2015.<ref name="Sellafield firm loses £9bn clean-up contract">{{cite news|title=Sellafield firm loses £9bn clean-up contract|work=BBC News |date=12 January 2015 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-30785623|access-date=25 February 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.energycentral.com/gridtandd/metering/news/vpr/5200/| work=Energy Central | title=URS-Led Team Named as Preferred Bidder for Sellafield UK Nuclear Complex  |date= July 11, 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.marketwatch.com/story/urs-corp-preferred-bidder-for-sellafield-nuclear-complex| work=[[MarketWatch]] | title=URS Corp. preferred bidder for Sellafield nuclear complex |date= July 11, 2008 }}</ref>

URS provided comprehensive project and construction management services for the reconstruction of the UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center, the largest building project ever undertaken by the University of California.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.urscorp.com/Projects/projView.php?s=65| work=URS Corporation | title=URS - Projects - UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center—Replacement Hospital |access-date= April 10, 2012 }}</ref>

URS was the contractor for the Port Washington Generating Station in Wisconsin, an 1100 MW combined-cycle power plant, which was recognized by Power Magazine as one of its top plants of 2008.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-1571265631.html| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325223341/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-1571265631.html| url-status=dead| archive-date=March 25, 2016 | title=Cover Story: Gas-Fired Top Plants, Port Washington Generating Station, Phase 2, Port Washington, Wisconsin |first=Robert |last=Peltier |date= September 1, 2008 }}</ref> URS also helped build the state-of-the-art Holcim cement manufacturing plant in Missouri, one of the largest cement manufacturing facilities in the world.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.urscorp.com/Projects/projView.php?s=806| work=URS Corporation | title=URS - Projects - Holcim Grassroots Cement Plant|access-date= April 10, 2012 }}</ref>

The I-35W bridge in Minneapolis collapsed in August 2007, killing 13 people and injuring 145. In 2003, URS had been retained by the Minnesota Department of Transportation to conduct a fatigue evaluation and a redundancy analysis of the bridge. Lawsuits filed in 2008 and 2009 cite the company with negligence. In 2010, these lawsuits were settled out of court without the admission of negligence or wrongdoing on the part of URS.<ref>[http://investors.urscorp.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=89381&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1462416&highlight= URS – Investor Relations - Financial Press Releases - Individual Releases<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

In November 2008, the National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of the collapse of the I-35W bridge was "inadequate load capacity, due to a design error by Sverdrup & Parcel and Associates, Inc., of the gusset plates at the U10 nodes, which failed under a combination of (1) substantial increases in the weight of the bridge, which resulted from previous modifications, and (2) the traffic and concentrated construction loads on the bridge on the day of the accident." URS was not involved in the work being conducted on the bridge at the time of the collapse or in the design of the bridge.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/pressrel/2008/081114.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081225112854/http://www.ntsb.gov/Pressrel/2008/081114.html |archive-date=2008-12-25 |title=SB-08-53}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aM5VGT6j0iJo&refer=us | work=Bloomberg | title=Minnesota Bridge Engineering, Load Cited in Failure (Update2) | date=November 13, 2008}}</ref><ref>[http://investors.urscorp.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=89381&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1036170&highlight= URS – Investor Relations - Financial Press Releases - Individual Releases<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

{{Further|I-35W Mississippi River bridge#Collapse|l1=Collapse of the I-35W Mississippi River bridge}}

The Martin Olav Sabo Bridge over Hiawatha Avenue in Minneapolis experienced failure of two of its longest support cables on February 20, 2012.  URS Corporation was the design consultant for the bridge that was completed in 2007. These failures resulted in closures of Hiawatha Avenue and the adjacent light rail between [[Mall of America]] and downtown Minneapolis for safety precautions while support structures were put in place. Rail service was restored after four days while Hiawatha Avenue road traffic remained closed for staging of construction equipment.<ref>[http://www.startribune.com/local/minneapolis/140084813.html]-Firm to look into failure of cables on Martin Sabo bridge, StarTribune.com, February 22, 2012.</ref> This failure occurred less than 18 months after URS Corporation settled out of court the lawsuits surrounding the Minneapolis I-35W bridge collapse.<ref>{{cite news|title=URS, Under Fire for 35W Bridge, is Up for Light-Rail Contract|url=http://www.startribune.com/local/143017535.html|newspaper=Star Tribune|first1=Pat|last1=Doyle|first2=Mike|last2=Kaszuba|date=March 16, 2012|access-date=February 23, 2020}}</ref>

{{Further|Martin Olav Sabo Bridge}}

URS was one of the contractors responsible for operating nuclear facilities at Los Alamos. In 2011, URS was involved in a [[criticality accident]] that nearly caused an uncontrollable nuclear reaction after mishandling plutonium. This occurred during lax safety protocols and after they replaced all of the members of the criticality safety team with URS employees.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://apps.publicintegrity.org/nuclear-negligence/near-disaster/ |title = A near-disaster at a federal nuclear weapons laboratory takes a hidden toll on America's arsenal {{!}} Center for Public Integrity| date=18 June 2017 }}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|San Francisco Bay Area|Companies}}
* [[Top 100 US Federal Contractors]]

{{Clear}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1951 establishments in California]]
[[Category:1970s initial public offerings]]
[[Category:2014 disestablishments in California]]
[[Category:2014 mergers and acquisitions]]
[[Category:Companies based in San Francisco]]
[[Category:Companies disestablished in 2014]]
[[Category:Companies formerly listed on the New York Stock Exchange]]
[[Category:Construction and civil engineering companies established in 1951]]