CPL buys Chicago's Bailey Edward in first deal under GHK backing
What's the deal? CPLDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a US architecture, engineering, and consulting firm, has acquired Bailey EdwardDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a Chicago-based multidisciplinary design firm. Terms were not disclosed. The deal extends CPL's reach across the Midwest and adds expertise in education, government, healthcare, research, community, and cultural work.
Why now? This is CPL's first acquisition since GHK Capital PartnersDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a Greenwich-based middle-market private equity firm, took control in early 2026. When GHK bought CPL, it cited geographic and end-market expansion and an active M&A program.
What's the endgame? Founded in 1991, Bailey Edward brings more than 45 professionals across three Illinois offices and three decades of work serving clients in 24 states. Pro forma for the deal, CPL has more than 500 professionals in 28 cities across nine states.
The two firms plan to integrate their services and build a coordinated go-to-market approach in 2027.
What they're saying: The acquisition is "a strategic investment in CPL's continued growth in Chicago and across the Midwest," said Chris Colby, president and chief operating officer of CPL. Ellen Bailey Dickson, Bailey Edward's chief executive officer, called it "an exciting next chapter."
The signal: The deal fits a consolidation wave in US architecture, engineering, and environmental consulting, where industry trackers report record activity in 2025 and a rising share of private-equity-backed buyers. For GHK's platform, Bailey Edward is an early add-on in a stated roll-up strategy rather than a market-shaping transaction on its own.
Read more: morningstar.com
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
