Two nationally prominent design firms, Fairfax, VA-based Dewberry and Peoria, IL-based PSA (Phillips Swager Associates), have agreed to merge their architecture and building design operations effective this fall. A Letter of Intent was recently signed by executive management of both firms.

“If all goes smoothly, we hope to have this transaction and integration complete by January 1, 2005,” says John P. Fowler, II, PE, chief executive officer of Dewberry.

Both firms have extensive expertise in facilities planning and design within the criminal justice, educational, and healthcare markets. “While Dewberry is well-known for its civil engineering and transportation expertise, they’ve got a solid presence in building services,” says J. Thomas Seymour, AIA, chief executive officer of PSA.