Introduction
One September 2026 partnership and three acquisitions add different capabilities. Cushing Terrell entered a strategic partnership with CIVC Partners, and the announcement says Cushing Terrell leadership continues to oversee operations.
Spheros Environmental's acquisition adds CEQA and NEPA environmental review. Core States Group's acquisition adds civil engineering in Michigan. STV's acquisition adds substation engineering in Southern California.
The four moves
The date in each row is the date printed on the company announcement.
| Firm | Move | Announcement date | What it adds | Places |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cushing Terrell and CIVC Partners | Strategic partnership. Cushing Terrell leadership continues to oversee operations. | September 1, 2026. Zweig Group lists the strategic partnership on September 3. That list date is not a verified closing date. | CIVC Partners is described as providing expertise in technology modernization, market expansion, and risk management. | Billings, MT, and Chicago, IL |
| Spheros Environmental and Panorama Environmental | Completed acquisition, as stated in the September 15, 2026 announcement. | September 15, 2026. Zweig Group lists the acquisition on September 11. That list date is not a verified closing date. | Spheros Environmental's acquisition adds environmental planning, CEQA and NEPA compliance, regulatory permitting, GIS, technical studies, construction monitoring, and public engagement. | Denver, CO, and San Francisco, CA |
| Core States Group and Hurley & Stewart | Acquisition announced on September 15, 2026. | September 15, 2026. The Core States Group acquisition announcement is datelined King of Prussia, Pa. Zweig Group places Core States Group in West Chester, Pa. | Core States Group's acquisition adds civil engineering, land surveying, and landscape architecture. The announcement places Hurley & Stewart in Kalamazoo, Michigan, with another office in Grand Rapids. | Kalamazoo, MI, and Grand Rapids, with West Chester, PA, named by Zweig Group |
| STV and CHAMPS | Acquisition announced on September 15, 2026. | September 15, 2026. | STV's acquisition adds substation engineering and design, protection, control and automation, and construction support. | New York, NY, and Laguna Hills, CA |
Cushing Terrell and CIVC Partners
Cushing Terrell's September 1, 2026 announcement says the Billings firm entered a partnership agreement with CIVC Partners to support its growth and evolution. Cushing Terrell leadership continues to oversee operations.
Under the partnership, Cushing Terrell's announcement describes CIVC Partners as providing expertise in mergers and acquisitions, operational efficiency, business strategy, talent acquisition, technology modernization, market expansion, and risk management.
Spheros Environmental and Panorama Environmental
Spheros Environmental's September 15, 2026 announcement says the firm has completed its acquisition of Panorama Environmental, a San Francisco practice. Spheros describes the acquired work as environmental planning, CEQA and NEPA compliance, regulatory permitting, GIS, technical studies, construction monitoring, and public engagement, with a deeper CEQA and NEPA focus in the Western U.S.
Zweig Group places the Spheros Environmental acquisition in Denver and Panorama Environmental in San Francisco.
Core States Group and Hurley & Stewart
Core States Group's September 15, 2026 announcement says the firm has acquired Hurley & Stewart, a civil engineering, land surveying, and landscape architecture practice based in Kalamazoo, Michigan, with another office in Grand Rapids.
The acquisition announcement says the integration brings Core States Group to 26 offices nationwide and more than 650 employees. It is datelined King of Prussia, Pa., while Zweig Group places Core States Group in West Chester, Pa.
STV and CHAMPS
STV's September 15, 2026 announcement says the New York firm has acquired CHAMPS, a Southern California utility power engineering firm. Zweig Group places CHAMPS in Laguna Hills.
STV's announcement and the Zweig Group list describe the acquired firm as specializing in substation engineering and design, protection, control and automation, and construction support.
Capabilities and geography
Read together, the four announcements point to different additions. This is an interpretation of those announcements, not another transaction.
Cushing Terrell's partnership links the Billings firm with a Chicago private equity firm. The announcement frames that partnership as support for growth, including technology modernization, market expansion, and risk management.
Spheros Environmental's acquisition adds CEQA and NEPA compliance, permitting, GIS, technical studies, construction monitoring, and public engagement. Core States Group's acquisition adds civil engineering, land surveying, and landscape architecture. STV's acquisition adds substation engineering and design, protection, control and automation, and construction support.
The Cushing Terrell partnership is placed in Billings and Chicago. Spheros Environmental's acquisition connects Denver with San Francisco and a stated Western U.S. focus. Core States Group's acquisition is placed in Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids, Michigan. STV's acquisition connects New York with Laguna Hills, California.
What to watch
These are later disclosures a reader can look for. They are not forecasts.
- Whether Cushing Terrell and CIVC Partners later describe how the partnership shows up in the firm's services.
- Whether Spheros Environmental describes how clients will buy Panorama Environmental's review and permitting work after the acquisition.
- Whether Core States Group describes how the Hurley & Stewart acquisition is reflected in its Michigan work.
- Whether STV describes how the CHAMPS acquisition is reflected in its utility power work.
Methodology and sources
This article uses each company's announcement and the September 2026 transaction list published by Zweig Group. Dates in the comparison are the dates printed on those announcements. A different day on the Zweig Group list is not treated as a closing date.
Zweig Group lists the Cushing Terrell partnership on September 3. That list date is not a verified closing date. Zweig Group lists the Spheros Environmental acquisition on September 11. That list date is not a verified closing date.
The Core States Group acquisition announcement is datelined King of Prussia, Pa. Zweig Group places Core States Group in West Chester, Pa. Talent acquisition is listed as expertise attributed to CIVC Partners under the Cushing Terrell partnership. The announcement does not describe Cushing Terrell recruitment.
None of these announcements states a transaction price or a recruitment plan. This account covers four announcements. It is not a census of AEC transactions.