
Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN) announced today that it has acquired substantially all of the assets of KCS Corporation (KCS), an engineering consulting firm headquartered in suburban Chicago, Illinois. KCS

<p xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/quote/WLDN">WLDN</a>) announced today that it has acquired substantially all of the assets of KCS Corporation (KCS), an engineering consulting firm headquartered in suburban Chicago, Illinois. KCS specializes in power delivery engineering for critical infrastructure. The 15-person KCS team expands Willdan’s in-house engineering and project management capabilities and adds capacity to Willdan’s APG team to support a growing pipeline of projects for data centers, battery storage, and grid modernization.

</p><p xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
&#34;The demand for our energy infrastructure services has continued to grow," said Mike Bieber, Willdan’s CEO. "In partnering with KCS on several substation and renewables projects, we recognized engineers and project managers who acted as a natural extension of our team. We’re pleased to welcome everyone at KCS to Willdan. Their addition further strengthens our in-house capabilities and allows our combined team to more efficiently execute on our power project pipeline and proactively meet this growing demand.&#34;

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"Building KCS Corporation has been an incredibly rewarding journey and we are proud of what we have accomplished together with our employees and clients," said Seemesh M. Sethi, President of KCS. &#34;We’re excited to join Willdan and for the opportunities this next chapter creates for continued growth of our business. We’ve worked closely with the APG team, now part of Willdan, and have experienced firsthand the strong alignment between our teams and how we serve clients. Bringing our capabilities together will allow us to offer our clients a broader range of engineering services while maintaining the personalized approach that has been central to KCS."

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<strong xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">About KCS Corporation</strong>

</p><p xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
KCS Corporation is a diversified provider of engineering and construction support services with several years of experience in a variety of industries including telecommunications, power transmission and distribution, commercial and industrial automation, and renewable power generation. Since its founding in 1999, KCS has partnered with clients in the development and expansion of substations and transmission lines for investor-owned utilities. In addition, KCS has supported development of wind farms, utility scale solar, battery storage, generator backup power for data centers, and other essential facilities.

</p><p xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
<strong xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">About Willdan</strong>

</p><p xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
Willdan is a technical services company focused on energy and infrastructure solutions. These solutions include energy planning and analytics, consulting, software, public finance, engineering, and program implementation. Willdan serves utilities, state and local governments, and commercial customers in the United States and Canada. For additional information, visit Willdan&#39;s website at <a xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" rel="nofollow" href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.willdan.com&amp;esheet=54590491&amp;newsitemid=20260817560558&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=www.willdan.com&amp;index=1&amp;md5=4a0d1136be1b41c890ffc688f64a1ccb" shape="rect">www.willdan.com</a> or follow Willdan on <a xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" rel="nofollow" href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fcompany%2Fwilldan%2F&amp;esheet=54590491&amp;newsitemid=20260817560558&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=LinkedIn&amp;index=2&amp;md5=2f50339421b4e6b0068d0f0c7b43a745" shape="rect">LinkedIn</a> and <a xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" rel="nofollow" href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fwilldangroup%2F&amp;esheet=54590491&amp;newsitemid=20260817560558&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=Facebook&amp;index=3&amp;md5=54c6d65bf156117e263d619218c3070d" shape="rect">Facebook</a>.

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<strong xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Forward-Looking Statements</strong>

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Statements in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. It is important to note that Willdan’s actual results could differ materially from those in any such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to, the risk factors listed from time to time in Willdan’s reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, the Annual Report on Form 10-K filed for the year ended January 2, 2026. Willdan cautions investors not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Willdan disclaims any obligation to, and does not undertake to, update or revise any forward-looking statements in this press release.

</p><p xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><img xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" alt="" src="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=bwnews&amp;sty=20260817560558r1&amp;sid=benz2&amp;distro=nx&amp;lang=en" style="width:0;height:0"></img><span xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" class="bwct31415"></span></p><p xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" id="mmgallerylink"><span xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" id="mmgallerylink-phrase">View source version on businesswire.com: </span><span xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" id="mmgallerylink-link"><a xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260817560558/en/" rel="nofollow">https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260817560558/en/</a></span></p><p xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
<strong xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Al Kaschalk 
</strong><br xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"></br>Vice President
<br xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"></br>310-922-5643
<br xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"></br><a xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" rel="nofollow" href="mailto:akaschalk@willdan.com" shape="rect">akaschalk@willdan.com</a>

</p>

WLDN

Willdan Expands Power Delivery Engineering Capabilities With KCS Corporation

Willdan expands engineering capacity with KCS acquisition to support growing energy infra pipeline

<section class="insight" data-version="1">
  <section data-block="information">
    <h3>Information</h3>
    <p>Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN) announced today that it has acquired substantially all of the assets of KCS Corporation (KCS), an engineering consulting firm headquartered in suburban Chicago, Illinois. KCS</p>
  </section>

  <section data-block="ai-summary-paragraph">
    <h3>AI Summary</h3>
    <p>Willdan Group announced it acquired substantially all assets of KCS Corporation, adding a 15-person engineering team to bolster its in-house engineering and APG capabilities. The deal expands Willdan’s pipeline work for data centers, battery storage and grid modernization, signaling continued demand for energy infrastructure services. Financial terms and integration impact remain uncertain, leaving high-level earnings visibility to be determined.</p>
  </section>

  <section data-block="ai-summary-bullets">
    <h3>Key Points</h3>
    <ul><li>Willdan acquires KCS Corporation assets; 15-person team boosts power delivery engineering.</li><li>Adds capacity to APG and supports data centers, battery storage, grid modernization.</li><li>Demand for energy infrastructure services continues to grow; KCS leadership joins Willdan.</li><li>No financial terms disclosed; press release includes forward-looking statements.</li></ul>
  </section>

  <section data-block="companies-mentioned">
    <h3>Companies Mentioned</h3>
    <ul><li><strong>Willdan Group, Inc. (WLDN)</strong>: Acquirer; expands in-house engineering and APG capacity; potential backlog growth.</li><li><strong>KCS Corporation (KCS)</strong>: Private firm; 15-person team integrated into Willdan to broaden substation/renewables services.</li></ul>
  </section>

  <section data-block="category">
    <h3>M&amp;A</h3>
    <p>Category: M&amp;A. The deal reflects Willdan&#039;s strategy to broaden engineering capabilities and expand its grid modernization and renewables work within energy infrastructure, a core growth thesis for the stock.</p>
  </section>

  <section data-block="market-moving">
    <h3>Market-Moving</h3>
    <ul><li>Expanded Willdan engineering capacity may improve bid-to-win rates on new projects.</li><li>Strengthened APG capabilities could accelerate project delivery and utilization of the pipeline.</li><li>No terms disclosed; fiscal impact contingent on integration success and project mix.</li><li>Industry tailwinds for renewables and grid modernization support Willdan&#039;s growth trajectory.</li></ul>
  </section>

  <section data-block="key-facts">
    <h3>Key Facts</h3>
    <ul><li>Date of announcement: August 17, 2026.</li><li>Acquirer: Willdan Group, Inc. (WLDN).</li><li>Target: KCS Corporation (private), suburban Chicago, IL.</li><li>KCS team size: 15 engineers/project managers.</li><li>Focus areas post-acquisition: power delivery engineering for data centers, battery storage, grid modernization.</li></ul>
  </section>

  <section data-block="trading-thesis">
    <h3>Trading Thesis</h3>
    <p>Bullish over the next 6–12 months as capacity expansion could lift backlog and project execution</p>
  </section>
</section>


<p xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/quote/WLDN">WLDN</a>) announced today that it has acquired substantially all of the assets of KCS Corporation (KCS), an engineering consulting firm headquartered in suburban Chicago, Illinois. KCS specializes in power delivery engineering for critical infrastructure. The 15-person KCS team expands Willdan’s in-house engineering and project management capabilities and adds capacity to Willdan’s APG team to support a growing pipeline of projects for data centers, battery storage, and grid modernization.

</p><p xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
&#34;The demand for our energy infrastructure services has continued to grow," said Mike Bieber, Willdan’s CEO. "In partnering with KCS on several substation and renewables projects, we recognized engineers and project managers who acted as a natural extension of our team. We’re pleased to welcome everyone at KCS to Willdan. Their addition further strengthens our in-house capabilities and allows our combined team to more efficiently execute on our power project pipeline and proactively meet this growing demand.&#34;

</p><p xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
"Building KCS Corporation has been an incredibly rewarding journey and we are proud of what we have accomplished together with our employees and clients," said Seemesh M. Sethi, President of KCS. &#34;We’re excited to join Willdan and for the opportunities this next chapter creates for continued growth of our business. We’ve worked closely with the APG team, now part of Willdan, and have experienced firsthand the strong alignment between our teams and how we serve clients. Bringing our capabilities together will allow us to offer our clients a broader range of engineering services while maintaining the personalized approach that has been central to KCS."

</p><p xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
<strong xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">About KCS Corporation</strong>

</p><p xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
KCS Corporation is a diversified provider of engineering and construction support services with several years of experience in a variety of industries including telecommunications, power transmission and distribution, commercial and industrial automation, and renewable power generation. Since its founding in 1999, KCS has partnered with clients in the development and expansion of substations and transmission lines for investor-owned utilities. In addition, KCS has supported development of wind farms, utility scale solar, battery storage, generator backup power for data centers, and other essential facilities.

</p><p xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
<strong xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">About Willdan</strong>

</p><p xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
Willdan is a technical services company focused on energy and infrastructure solutions. These solutions include energy planning and analytics, consulting, software, public finance, engineering, and program implementation. Willdan serves utilities, state and local governments, and commercial customers in the United States and Canada. For additional information, visit Willdan&#39;s website at <a xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" rel="nofollow" href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.willdan.com&amp;esheet=54590491&amp;newsitemid=20260817560558&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=www.willdan.com&amp;index=1&amp;md5=4a0d1136be1b41c890ffc688f64a1ccb" shape="rect">www.willdan.com</a> or follow Willdan on <a xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" rel="nofollow" href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fcompany%2Fwilldan%2F&amp;esheet=54590491&amp;newsitemid=20260817560558&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=LinkedIn&amp;index=2&amp;md5=2f50339421b4e6b0068d0f0c7b43a745" shape="rect">LinkedIn</a> and <a xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" rel="nofollow" href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fwilldangroup%2F&amp;esheet=54590491&amp;newsitemid=20260817560558&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=Facebook&amp;index=3&amp;md5=54c6d65bf156117e263d619218c3070d" shape="rect">Facebook</a>.

</p><p xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
<strong xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Forward-Looking Statements</strong>

</p><p xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
Statements in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. It is important to note that Willdan’s actual results could differ materially from those in any such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to, the risk factors listed from time to time in Willdan’s reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, the Annual Report on Form 10-K filed for the year ended January 2, 2026. Willdan cautions investors not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Willdan disclaims any obligation to, and does not undertake to, update or revise any forward-looking statements in this press release.

</p><p xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><img xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" alt="" src="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=bwnews&amp;sty=20260817560558r1&amp;sid=benz2&amp;distro=nx&amp;lang=en" style="width:0;height:0"></img><span xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" class="bwct31415"></span></p><p xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" id="mmgallerylink"><span xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" id="mmgallerylink-phrase">View source version on businesswire.com: </span><span xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" id="mmgallerylink-link"><a xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260817560558/en/" rel="nofollow">https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260817560558/en/</a></span></p><p xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
<strong xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Al Kaschalk 
</strong><br xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"></br>Vice President
<br xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"></br>310-922-5643
<br xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"></br><a xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" rel="nofollow" href="mailto:akaschalk@willdan.com" shape="rect">akaschalk@willdan.com</a>

</p>

Willdan Group announced it acquired substantially all assets of KCS Corporation, adding a 15-person engineering team to bolster its in-house engineering and APG capabilities. The deal expands Willdan’s pipeline work for data centers, battery storage and grid modernization, signaling continued demand for energy infrastructure services. Financial terms and integration impact remain uncertain, leaving high-level earnings visibility to be determined.

News insight

Willdan Expands Power Delivery Engineering Capabilities With KCS Corporation

AI summary

Sentiment rationale

Key facts

M&A