Profile
GENIVAR, through its combination with WSP, is one of the world’s leading professional services firms, working with governments, businesses, architects and planners and providing integrated solutions across many disciplines. The firm provides services to transform the built environment and restore the natural environment, and its expertise ranges from environmental remediation to urban planning, from engineering iconic buildings to designing sustainable transport networks, and from developing the energy sources of the future to enabling new ways of extracting essential resources. It has approximately 15,000 employees, mainly engineers, technicians, scientists and architects, as well as various environmental experts, based in more than 300 offices, across 35 countries, on every continent.
Our History
GENIVAR traces its roots back to 1959. Since its founding and especially in the last decade, our firm has grown through internal expansion and more than 90 acquisitions.
In 1959, two engineering services firms, G.B.G.M. Ltd. and Les Consultants Dupuis, Côté Inc., began their operations in Quebec City. In 1987, these firms merged their activities to offer a broader range of engineering services in the building market segment through a merged entity named Groupe-Conseil Solivar Inc. In 1990 and 1992, Groupe-Conseil Solivar completed two acquisitions of firms active in the municipal infrastructure, transportation and environment market segments in order to establish its multidisciplinary full-service approach. In 1993, Groupe-Conseil Solivar proceeded to expand geographically and acquired three firms located in Montreal and then changed its name to GENIVAR.
From 1993 to 2006, some 30 firms were acquired, transforming GENIVAR into a multidisciplinary firm with operations across Quebec. GENIVAR also ventured into the Ontario market and the international arena following a key acquisition and the awarding of a major contract.
In April 2006, GENIVAR applied for a listing on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) as an income fund. The move was a resounding success and the GENIVAR Income Fund was listed on the TSX on May 25, 2006. From 2006 to 2012, more than 60 firms come on board, making GENIVAR one of the largest professional services firms in Canada, with offices in all regions. In January 2011, following legislative changes imposed by the federal government, the GENIVAR Income Fund converted to a public corporation known as GENIVAR Inc., still listed on the TSX with the symbol GNV.
In August 2012, GENIVAR completed a historic merger with WSP Group PLC, a multi-disciplinary professional services consultancy based in London, U.K., thus becoming one of the world’s leading professional services firms.
