Vortex Cos., a Houston provider of trenchless water and sewer infrastructure rehabilitation solutions, said its acquisition of Auburn infrastructure rehabilitation contractor CLH & Son will strengthen its services in the Northeast.
The deal was announced Tuesday.
CLH & Son specializes in culvert “slip-lining,” concrete rehabilitation, excavation, drainage improvements and related utility services.
Culvert slip-lining is a trenchless rehabilitation technique that involves inserting a new liner inside an existing culvert to restore its function and prevent further deterioration.
“Joining Vortex gives our team the opportunity to build on what CLH has established over more than four decades while bringing an even broader set of solutions to our customers,” said Travis Stearns, CEO of CLH & Son. “Together, we can provide infrastructure owners with the right combination of technologies, services and field expertise to tackle increasingly complex rehabilitation needs.”
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Underground infrastructure
Located at 2841 Turner Road, CLH was founded in 1979 by Calvin and Judy Hunter as a family-owned business specializing in residential and commercial site work, utilities, snow removal and rough landscaping. A culvert rehabilitation services division was added in 2002, and lining culverts for state, municipal and private clients became a significant portion of the company’s work.
The Hunters transferred ownership of the company to their grandson, Travis Stearns, in 2015.
CLH serves municipalities, state departments of transportation, utilities and contractors throughout New England. The company specializes in addressing aging storm and sewer systems and related underground infrastructure.
CLH will become part of Vortex Services Northeast. The combination is expected to create opportunities to enhance project delivery, expand service offerings and leverage operational best practices across Vortex’s growing regional platform.
Growing demand
“This acquisition expands both the types and scale of projects we can pursue in the Northeast,” said Ram Vela, Vortex’s chief strategy officer. “It strengthens our regional platform and positions us to capture a greater share of a growing market.”
Vortex is seeing growing demand across the Northeast, said Mike Vellano, the company’s CEO.
Founded in 2015, Vortex specializes in trenchless water and sewer infrastructure solutions, operating across 50 locations worldwide, including a second Maine facility in Livermore.
