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IBI Group Inc. announces the Settlement of Business Arrangements for the Acquisition of the firm of M·E Companies, Inc. of Ohio, USA.

December 12, 2012 (Canada NewsWire Group)

TORONTO, December 12, 2012 /CNW/ - IBI Group Inc. (the "Company") (TSX: IBG) announced today that business arrangements have been settled for the acquisition of the practice of M·E Companies, Inc., a professional management and engineering firm in Ohio, USA, within the IBI Group of firms. M·E Companies, Inc. was established in 1973.

M·E Companies, Inc. is a full service civil engineering firm with expertise in comprehensive management, engineering design, surveying and construction services. The firm applies these professional skills to transportation infrastructure, water and wastewater systems, and land development. The firm is based in Columbus, Ohio with offices in the Canton and Cincinnati areas. The firm has a strong reputation and standing with the Ohio Department of Transportation in the engineering design of transportation facilities, as well as safety programs; a broad practice in water and wastewater systems for municipalities and counties; and land development activity for many public and private clients.

Arrangements have been concluded for Tim Foley, all senior leadership and staff totaling some 80 people to continue with the firm and integrated within the IBI Group.

Philip Beinhaker, Chairman Director and CEO of IBI Group noted that: "Tim Foley and the practice leaders have built a solid professional practice in transportation and water and sewer infrastructure design. The firm is managed in a profitable manner. The economy in Ohio is expanding on the bases of intensive energy, exploration and development, as well as established industrial activities in automotive and other sectors. This acquisition will provide IBI Group with a platform of introducing IBIÕs broad range of professional services to this growing Ohio market".

Scott Stewart, Managing Director of IBI Group with overall responsibility for transportation and intelligent systems noted that: "the professional capability of M·E Companies in transport engineering design will be relevant to IBI clients in departments of transportation in other States where IBI currently practices in the Midwest and East Coast of the USA. These professional engineering skills will extend IBI's current work in research, planning, transportation and system applications".

Tim Foley, principal shareholder of M·E Companies, Inc., noted that: "M·E Companies has been examining for some time the opportunities to grow the practice to the next level from our current profitable base. The merger with IBI will enable us to provide a broader range of services to our clients in Ohio, as well as to enable our motivated professional staff to work on projects elsewhere with our established skills. This is an excellent way forward for the practice leaders and the bright young professionals of our firm".

The new trading name will be M·E/IBI.

With this acquisition, the total of IBI staff is some 3000 people.

About IBI Group Inc.
IBI Group Inc. is a TSX listed company, which pays monthly dividends and trades under the symbol "IBG". IBI Group Inc. holds an indirect 77% interest in IBI Group, a partnership (of a subsidiary of IBI Group Inc. and IBI Group Management Partnership) which, directly and through its subsidiary entities, provides professional services, including planning, design, implementation, analysis of operations and other consulting services in relation to four main areas of development, being urban land, building facilities, transportation networks and systems technology. The remaining 23% of IBI Group is owned by IBI Group Management Partnership. On a partially diluted basis, assuming the exchange of its partnership units of IBI Group for common shares of IBI Group Inc., IBI Group Management Partnership together with affiliated entities holds a combined 42% interest in IBI Group Inc.

For further information, please contact:

Philip H. Beinhaker
IBI Group Inc.
230 Richmond Street West
Toronto, Ontario M5V 1V6
Telephone: 416-596-1930

M•E Companies: Marcellus/Utica Shale: Supporting Ohio’s Future (November 2011)
M•E Companies, an Ohio based management and engineering firm, has been working with the state, local counties, townships and municipalities for over 35 years. Integrating our services throughout Ohio with three offices strategically located within shale formation areas, M•E is prepared to provide quality service to the shale exploration industry today. We provide solutions for:

• Survey/GIS Mapping
• Civil Engineering
• Water Supply
• Wastewater Treatment
• State Agency Coordination
• Permitting
• Transportation Engineering
• Title Research
• Property Acquisition/Easements
• Public Involvement
• Construction Management

Click here for more information.

M· E Companies Awards Scholarships to Future Engineering Students (May 2010)
CLINTON CANNON of New Lexington High School (Perry County) and DEREK MILLER of Shenandoah High School (Noble County) will each receive a $1,000 scholarship from M·E Companies toward their college tuition this fall. Cannon plans on studying civil engineering at Ohio University - Athens, and Miller will study engineering and computer programming at Carnegie Mellon University - Pittsburgh. M·E's 2010 Scholarship Program received 140 applications from high school seniors in southeastern Ohio counties. This is the eighth year M·E has awarded the scholarships. Ohio University, as an independent third party, reviewed the qualified applications and recommended the recipients.   

S.R. 4B Groundbreaking Kicks Off ODOT's 2010 SW Construction Season (April 2010)
April 7, 2010, marked not only the groundbreaking of the S.R. 4B widening project, which features the first "Super Street" intersections designed in Ohio, but also ODOT’s 2010 southwest Ohio construction kickoff. ODOT’s upcoming 2010 season will be the largest construction season in state history and will involve investments in construction in every Ohio county and in every major mode of transportation. With the purpose of “igniting Ohio’s economic engine,” the 2010 season will surpass past investments by more than 30% for a total of more than $2 billion in transportation construction projects. Click here to read more. 

Groundbreaking speakers included Jolene Molitoris, ODOT Director (pictured); Hans Jindal, ODOT District 8 Deputy Director; Connie Pillich, 28th Ohio House District Representative; Brooke Hill, Southwest District Director for The Honorable Senator Sherrod Brown; Don Dixon, Butler County Commissioner; Patrick Moeller, The Honorable Mayor of the City of Hamilton; Bob Koehler, OKI Deputy Executive Director; and Mike Juengling, Butler County Economic Development Director.

M·E work honored with Green Building Awards (March 2010)
The Cincinnati Business Courier recently published their Green Business Awards supplement highlighting sustainable projects in the categories of People Winner, Planet Winner, Master Winner, and Prosperity Winner.  

The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens won two of the four Green Business awards: the People award for the Harold C. Schott Education Center and the Planet award for the Historic Vine Street Village (pictured). M·E Companies was fortunate and proud to provide site design for both zoo projects, among many others. M·E also provided site design for one of the finalist projects, the Cincinnati Herald Building.  

Winners were chosen based on the projects’ benefit to the community, environmental stewardship, return on investment and overall integration of green elements. Judges from the Indiana chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council selected four winners and nine finalists from 66 nominations. Read article here.  

Presentation at MORPCÕs 8th Annual Stormwater & Erosion Control Expo (March 2010)
M·E Companies exhibited and presented at this year’s conference held March 11, 2010 at The Ohio State University’s Longaberger Alumni House. This year’s expo attracted 140 attendees, the highest turnout to date, including representatives from ODOT, ODNR, USDA-NRCS, and OSU. The municipalities of Dublin, Columbus, Hilliard, Ironton, Gahanna, Marysville, Zanesville, and Canal Winchester were represented, as well as Soil and Water Districts from 13 counties across Ohio.

Jeff Koehn, M·E Senior VP, and Jamie Leeseberg, Site Department Manager, presented on our work at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens, and the Roush Honda Inventory Lot, respectively. View their presentation here.

MáE sponsors "ODOT's Time to Shine" (March 2010)
The Columbus Metropolitan Club held a forum on March 3, 2010, presented by ODOT Director Jolene Molitoris. The Director shared news about passenger rail in Ohio, the I-70/I-71 interchange, and other important transportation issues and initiatives. M·E Companies attended and was a proud sponsor of the event. View video of the session here.  

ODOT Real Estate Policy Change (February 2010)
On Friday, February 5, 2010, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) issued a policy directive that immediately impacts the appraisal and appraisal review processes for virtually all right-of-way acquisition projects involving State or Federal funding for planning, design, acquisition, or construction. As a result, state-licensed and state-certified appraisers are now forbidden from preparing or reviewing Value Analysis reports. Download additional information here.  

M·E Hosts Future City Competition (January 2010)
For the seventh consecutive year, M·E Companies served as the local host for the National Engineers Week Future City Competition™—Ohio Region. Teams from 19 Ohio middle schools, and more than 30,000 students in 1,000 schools in 38 regions nationwide participated at this year's competition held January 16, 2010.
 
Five schools were awarded medals in the competition in addition to 15 special awards. The first place team receives an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. to represent the Ohio Region at the national finals, February 13-16, during National Engineers Week. The top five teams:
 
First Place – Bexley Middle School, Bexley (pictured)
Second Place – St Vincent de Paul, Mt Vernon
Third Place – Immaculate Conception Academy, Cincinnati
Fourth Place – St Ambrose Middle School, Brunswick (first year participant)
Fifth Place – Morton Middle School, Vandalia (first year participant)
 
The Best Computer City Design special award, sponsored by M·E, went to: 
 
First Place – Bexley Middle School, Bexley
Honorable Mention – New Richmond Middle School, New Richmond
 
The competition invites teams of 7th and 8th graders to create a city of the future using SimCity 4 Deluxe™ software, creating a map, and building a 3-D model of it. Students also write an abstract describing their city and an essay pertaining to the year's topic. Teams are judged on their oral presentation about the city, computer design and map, model, essay and abstract.