Hayward Baker acquires Ellington Cross

Acquisition of Charleston, S.C.-based regional geotechnical contractor expands the company’s ‘EQ drain’ capabilities

Hayward Baker Inc. (HBI) announced in an Oct. 13 press release that it has acquired Ellington Cross LLC (EC), a regional geotechnical contractor that provides Earthquake Drain™ design and installation. Headquartered in Charleston, S.C., EC operates primarily in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.

The release said that EC and HBI will combine operations at the Charleston office and operate under the name Ellington Cross, a division of Hayward Baker. HBI will take on EC’s current management team and employees as well as assuming existing contracts.

The release described EC as “a regional geotechnical contractor focused on liquefaction mitigation ground improvement using Earthquake Drains (sometimes referred to as EQ drains),” and noted that HBI owns the patent for mitigating liquefaction using prefabricated vertical drains throughout North America.”

But the press release said that, unlike prefabricated vertical wick drains, EQ drains have a larger cross-sectional area and flow capacity, intended to limit pore pressure increases in cohesionless soils and subsequent liquefaction during earthquake events.

HBI president, Eric Drooff, said: “Liquefaction mitigation is an important geotechnical service provided by HBI. The acquisition of Ellington Cross strengthens our capabilities in this market. We plan to enhance our ability to offer liquefaction mitigation ground improvement services in earthquake-prone areas throughout the United States by leveraging EC’s sales and engineering skills, combined with our own operational capabilities.”