Vistal announced it recently acquired two companies: WHS, headquartered in Rock Springs, Wyoming, and FARR Technologies, based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
About WHS
WHS is a civil engineering, planning, and survey firm specializing in oil and gas, transportation, material testing, and other energy services. Their team is comprised of professional engineers, surveyors, and material testing technicians offering services to private and public clients across the Mountain West region and from the Dakotas to Texas and Louisiana. Like Moore Engineering, Inc. and Communication Network Engineering, Inc. (CNE), WHS will retain its name and brand and join our enterprise as a Vistal company.
About FARR Technologies
FARR Technologies delivers fiber and wireless broadband communication engineering and technology services. FARR serves clients across the northern tier of the United States from Oregon to New York. FARR is a significant strategic complement to CNE and will be integrated into the CNE brand, doubling capacity and expanding expertise that will support CNE’s pursuit of new territories and larger client projects.
Strengthening the Vistal ESOP
Vistal CEO Shane Waslaski cited strong leadership, proven performance, strategic alignment, and shared values as the primary drivers behind the acquisitions. “WHS and FARR Technologies are a natural fit in Vistal’s employee-owned culture,” said Waslaski. “They share our focus on client success and employee growth, while expanding our geographic reach and broadening the services we provide. Together, they strengthen our enterprise through their unique expertise, new markets, and meaningful support of our long-term growth.”
Vistal is a holding company that supports its operating companies through strategic services, including its Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP).
WHS Propelling into the Future
WHS President Will Dolinar said Vistal was the ideal partner for the next phase of his company’s growth and ownership transition. “When we considered selling the company, we only talked to potential buyers who shared our commitment to client service and employee care. Vistal provides the resources we need to grow, and their employee ownership model told us Vistal was the right partner to take our company and our employees to the next level.”
CNE Doubles Capacity with FARR Integration
FARR Technologies is a strategic fit for CNE, according CNE President Blake Griffin. “The FARR Technologies team brings valued expertise and capabilities into CNE. They expand our capacity and enhance our ability to deliver an even wider range of communication engineering projects.”
The ESOP Advantage
As a CNE principal prior to its acquisition by Vistal in 2021, Griffin saw first-hand the advantages the Vistal organization delivers. “The ESOP business model is remarkable. We saw immediately how our company and our employees would benefit from it. It offered our employees a position in the business and made them owners of their own success,” Griffin added.
Vistal Strategic Services
“Beyond the ESOP itself, the strategic services Vistal provides its operating companies elevated what was possible for CNE,” Griffin added. “That support provided us the scale, resources, and confidence to accelerate our growth. As part of the Vistal enterprise, we were able to pursue the opportunity to join with a highly complementary partner like FARR Technologies, allowing us to move faster and think bigger for our clients, and create greater opportunity for our company and our employee owners.”
“By bringing together organizations that share our values and commitment to employee ownership, we are building an enterprise designed for excellence and long-term success—for our people, our clients, and the future of Vistal. It is the essence of how we will continue to own our future together,” Waslaski said.