Parsons Acquires 3D/International

Parsons Corp., a Pasadena-based engineering and construction company, said it had bought 3D/International, a Houston-based company that specializes in designing and constructing schools and public buildings.

“We had been looking for an entity that could fill out our skills and resources” in the educational world, said Charles Harrington, president of Parsons Commercial Technology Group, a unit with about 2,500 workers.

The transaction was announced late Thursday. The price was not disclosed. Both companies are privately owned.

Parsons Commercial Technology Group previously operated an education and healthcare division. In December, the division was split into two, when Parsons acquired Louisville, Ky.-based Meta Associates Inc., a hospital design and construction company.

3D/International, which employs about 500, will form the core of the education and public buildings division, which already has about 200 Parsons employees, Harrington said. The division will be based in Houston.

“The two companies were similar in how we approached the market,” Harrington said of 3D/International. “We thought the two companies would integrate very well.”

The sale gives 3D/International, whose clients include the Pentagon and the Los Angeles Unified School District, access to more resources, said Chuck Thomsen, who was 3D/International chairman.

“Their core business is design and construction, like ours,” said Thomsen, who will join the advisory board of Parsons Commercial Technology Group. “This will allow us to bring a lot more services to our existing clients.”