Verdantas expands sustainable infrastructure capabilities with acquisition of Sherwood Design Engineers

TAMPA, Fla., Aug. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Verdantas, a leader in digitally enabled technical consulting for the environment, water, and energy transition markets, today announced the acquisition of Sherwood Design Engineers (Sherwood), a nationally recognized civil engineering and sustainable infrastructure firm headquartered in San Francisco, California.

Founded in 2003, Sherwood has built a reputation for integrating natural systems into the built environment through innovative engineering, planning, and design solutions. The firm's multidisciplinary team of approximately 120 engineers, designers, and support professionals operates from eight offices across the United States and Latin America including San Francisco, Petaluma, Napa, Santa Cruz, Los Angeles, New York City, Des Moines and San Jose, Costa Rica.

Sherwood provides engineering and design services across sustainable infrastructure, water resources, ecological systems, urban development, resilient infrastructure, integrated resource planning, and innovative water and wastewater systems. The firm is widely recognized for its work on complex projects involving climate resilience, ecological restoration, sustainable campuses, public infrastructure, parks and open spaces, and resource management. 

"This is a natural fit for both organizations," said Jesse Kropelnicki, CEO of Verdantas. "Sherwood brings a distinctive approach to sustainable infrastructure that combines technical excellence with a deep understanding of ecological systems. Their team has built an impressive reputation helping clients solve complex challenges at the intersection of water, infrastructure, resilience, and environmental stewardship. Together, we are expanding our ability to deliver integrated solutions that help communities and clients adapt, grow, and thrive."

"We have always believed that engineering can create positive environmental and community outcomes when natural and built systems are considered together," said Bry Sarte, founder and CEO of Sherwood. "Verdantas shares that mindset. By joining forces, we gain the scale, resources, and multidisciplinary capabilities to accelerate our impact while continuing to serve our clients and communities with the same commitment and vision that has defined Sherwood for more than two decades."

"Sherwood brings a highly complementary set of capabilities in sustainable infrastructure, water resources, ecological restoration, and climate resilience that further strengthens the Verdantas platform," said James Soldano, Managing Partner at Sterling Investment Partners. "The addition of Sherwood expands Verdantas' ability to help clients address increasingly complex environmental and infrastructure challenges while continuing to build a differentiated technical consulting firm positioned for long-term growth."

The acquisition expands Verdantas' presence across several key growth markets, including California, New York, and Atlanta, while broadening the firm's client relationships across higher education, technology, utilities, hospitality, government and provide development sectors. It also adds Sherwood's Costa Rica operation, complementing Verdantas' existing global delivery model and enhancing the firm's ability to support clients with complex infrastructure and environmental challenges.

2020 Environmental Group represented Sherwood as their exclusive M&A Advisors, managing the process, identifying Verdantas, and offering strategic guidance throughout the negotiation and execution of the deal.

About Verdantas
Verdantas is a leader in digitally enabled technical consulting solutions for the environment, water, and energy transition markets. Blending balanced strengths in environmental and engineering expertise, we partner with clients and communities to create comprehensive solutions that contribute to a sustainable future. With a team of over 2,700 professionals nationwide, we harness diverse skills and innovative technologies to address complex challenges, protect vital resources, and foster resilient communities. For more information, visit www.verdantas.com.

About Sterling Investment Partners

Sterling Investment Partners is a leading private equity firm that has been building leading middle-market companies for 35 years with a highly experienced, cohesive team of senior investment professionals. Sterling focuses on control investments in value-added distribution and business services, acquiring businesses that the firm believes have strong, sustainable competitive advantages and significant opportunities for value creation. Over its history, Sterling has completed over 275 transactions, representing more than $35 billion in aggregate value. Sterling is ranked a Top 20 performing global middle market private equity firm by Dow Jones-HEC Paris, and was recognized as a Founder Friendly Investor by Inc.com. For more information, visit www.sterlinglp.com.

SOURCE Verdantas LLC