Willdan Group has acquired Burton Energy Group, a privately held energy management firm serving multi-site commercial customers, in a move that broadens the buyer’s exposure beyond its traditional utility and public-sector base. Terms were not disclosed.
Burton brings a national footprint in commercial energy management, procurement, efficiency, and asset replacement, with monitoring across more than 60,000 client sites in the US. The company said it generated about $103 million in contract revenue, $15 million in net revenue, and $7 million in EBITDA in 2025. Willdan expects the acquisition to be accretive to adjusted earnings per share in 2026.
The target fills a specific gap. Willdan has built its energy business around planning, engineering, analytics, and program implementation for utilities and government clients. Burton adds a direct advisory relationship with large commercial operators, particularly in sectors such as retail, hospitality, restaurants, financial services, and distribution, where energy spend is volatile, geographically fragmented, and increasingly managed as a procurement problem as much as an efficiency problem.
That matters in the current market. Corporate customers are under pressure to cut operating costs without deferring facility upgrades, and they want one provider that can pair energy efficiency projects with procurement strategy and ongoing monitoring. Burton’s recurring revenue profile suggests Willdan is buying stickier customer relationships, not just project backlog. It is also buying a stronger position in the Southeast and Midwest, regions where power market complexity and utility price exposure can create demand for outsourced energy expertise.
The transaction lands as energy dealmaking becomes more active, though at smaller check sizes. Acquire.fyi data shows energy sector deal volume is up 30.8% year over year, while median deal size has fallen to $10 million, pointing to a market shaped less by blockbuster asset trades and more by capability-driven acquisitions.
For Willdan, that pattern fits. This is less a scale bet than a margin and mix shift toward commercial advisory services with repeat engagement and cross-sell potential. Investors will now look for two things on Thursday’s earnings call: how much of Burton’s EBITDA survives integration, and whether Willdan can use procurement and monitoring services to pull more commercial clients into its broader energy and infrastructure platform.
Source: Company press release and Acquire.fyi's proprietary data
