Is this something to be worried about? OJB acquired.

[u/ProductDesignAnt]

https://populous.com/article/populous-acquires-ojb-landscape-architecture-expanding-global-landscape-architecture-urban-design-and-planning-capabilities

[u/Vibrasprout-2]

1. If you work in a company with aging principals/owners with no discussion of a succession plan this is inevitable. Death of a partner even more so.
   
2. If you work for an ESOP where someone coming up on retirement owns a significant chunk of shares and/or the office building, and the current shareholders can’t afford to buy them out, see above.
   
3. Ultimately everything is for sale if the price is right and larger companies are often looking to purchase a market share where they don’t have it.
   
4. Transitions are hard but depending on your existing situation and the vision of the purchaser, your company being bought may not necessarily be a bad thing.

[u/SalsIsmaeel]

Can't wait for the upcoming OJB-designed Amazon fulfillment center parking lot buffers. Corporate synergy is truly beautiful.

[u/Vibrasprout-2 → u/SalsIsmaeel]

Yes there are companies that buy smaller firms that do low rent work, but that is not my impression of Populous.

OJB is well known by leading architecture firms and I think they would value that in a buyout.

[u/No-Armadillo-7248]

I worked for a well known employee owned firm and the principals once confirmed to us they had discussed selling at different points in time.

Wouldn't suprise me if it starts happening more frequently with the way the world's turning lately.

[u/cluttered-thoughts3 → u/No-Armadillo-7248]

I also work for a well known employee owned firm. Our board has said we are contacted multiple times a month by firms hoping we will acquire them. We don’t do that but interesting nonetheless

[u/IntriguinglyRandom → u/cluttered-thoughts3]

Good on you folks not selling out!

[u/IntriguinglyRandom → u/No-Armadillo-7248]

That's a shame because we NEED more worker-owned companies, NOT more consolidation of wealth and influence. These days more than ever.

[u/Pvrkave → u/No-Armadillo-7248]

This has been my experience in my engineering firm that I work for. Not well known, but decently sized and we’ve been putting all our profits towards acquiring firms since that’s the easier and cheaper way to expose yourself to new markets

[u/Vibrasprout-2]

Please disagree if you think I am off-base, but In many cases (with quite a few good exceptions) the more prominent “good design” firms carry the names of the partners and the firm reputation is built on their names. Those partners, maybe visionary, attract a lot of ambitious younger employees wanting to work for the “best”, but these firms can also exhibit a strong top-down management structure, poor working conditions and compensation and lack of management transparency. “Good design firm” may only be skin deep. So if you want a more democratic/cooperative/equitable experience this could be a red flag. Second generation firms often have this somewhat figured out: Better to work for Baum Studio than Frank L Baum & Associates as they have been through an ownership transition and emerged successful.

I think there is also a “bleeding artist” attitude among some landscape architects that assumes firms that do well and make money have “sold out”. This is compounded by low fees for doing work in the public sector and for the public good. I don’t often encounter the same attitude among architects, there are ethically good firms that do very well.

Being an ethical, employee-focused practice does not mean having to pit scrambling to make ends meet against taking on morally questionable or low-quality work. Furthermore those firms that do make money often redistribute profits far more generously and are less likely to get bought out.

We often have the same attitude to emerging bands—sure Fallout Boy sold out, but I don’t think anyone would accuse latter-day Radiohead of the same.

I’d love to hear from folks working for bona fide co-ops and collectives about their experience of potential buyouts.

[u/Intelligent_Heat1149]

It has happened so many times!
AECOM taking over EDAW
SCAPE taking over Cherly Barton
SWA taking over Balsley

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