With Fentress Buy, Populous Sees a Broader Horizon in Aviation

Whereas design agency Populous solely announced last week that it had acquired Denver-based Fentress Architects, the Kansas Metropolis, Mo., firm had been exploring the potential for the acquisition for greater than a decade, in accordance with these concerned within the current deal.

“Our historical past collectively goes again 10 or 12 years,” remembers Bruce Miller, Populous CEO. “We had conversations, however nothing was labored out on the time.… It’s been a development up to now, and we each see a worth of a mixture of two companies as we go to market within the U.S. and globally.”

The acquisition will protect Fentress Architects inside Populous as Fentress Studios, a Populous firm. Curtis Fentress, the architect’s co-founder and principal and its Chairman and Principal Agatha Kessler will be a part of the Populous international holdings board, and can retain their roles at Fentress Studios. “However apart from that it’s enterprise as regular,” says Miller. 

The businesses have chosen to not disclose the monetary phrases of the deal.

Bruce Miller

“Everybody is worked up about going to Populous,” says Curtis Fentress. “We are able to cost out into the aviation world as one. For Fentress, it’s extra alternative to do enterprise around the globe, and with what Populous has carried out thus far in offering design providers for airports, it’s an opportunity [for us] to do some thrilling new progressive design.”

Populous ranks at No. 57 on the ENR 2025 Top 500 Design Firms record. Fentress ranks at at No. 290.

A Robust Aviation Market

This mixture of design companies comes at a time when the worldwide aviation market is increasing, and each companies had been seeing alternatives develop past what they might deal with alone, says Miller. “We see a really robust Americas area market and powerful international market, and from my viewpoint we’ll tackle each.”

Curtis Fentress

“I see the identical factor,” agrees Fentress. “Everyone seems to be taking to the skies greater than earlier than … we’re seeing the numbers climb dramatically. Within the U.S. they’re having to revamp the methods for steering visitors to airports, spacing out the airplanes extra as a result of there’s a lot visitors. There’s a necessity for growth of gates in virtually each airport in America.”

Miller additionally expects that Congress will proceed to fund air security measures and upgrades, regardless of current disruptions on the Federal Aviation Administration and potential finances cuts. “What we’re seeing within the U.S. is relating to security of Americans, Congress will nonetheless be placing cash out to do these issues. They are going to get cash on the market for the radar system that wants an overhaul within the U.S.”

A Single Observe

Response from the companies’ purchasers to the acquisition has been largely optimistic, says Miller and Fentress. “For our present purchasers they’ll anticipate continuity, and can see noting however enhancement to the providers we offer,” says Miller.

“We contacted all of our purchasers as we went by this transition, and they’re all glad we joined in with Populous and are a a lot greater agency—it permits us extra horsepower, because it had been,” explains Fentress.

For now, as the businesses type out the rebranding, Miller says totally different tasks could record Fentress or Populous because the designer, or a mixture of the 2. But it surely’s a single follow, he provides. “We’re one firm now, you gained’t see us pursuing work individually. As we strategy tasks as one agency, we’ll search for the very best alternative with the very best folks as we’re in a single follow collectively.”

Fentress agrees. “It’s actually a chance to return to that outdated adage: no one is as sensible as all of us.”