TAMPA, Fla., July 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Verdantas, a leader in digitally enabled technical consulting for the environment, water, and energy transition markets, announced today its acquisition of Environmental Protection Industries (EPI), a full-service environmental consulting and remediation firm headquartered in South Holland, Illinois. The acquisition expands Verdantas’ presence across the Midwest, into Illinois and Chicago specifically, and strengthens the firm’s capabilities in complex remediation and brownfield redevelopment.

Founded more than 30 years ago, EPI serves public and private sector clients throughout the Great Lakes region, with a long-standing focus on complex, environmentally challenged sites in and around Chicago. What differentiates EPI is its ability to integrate remediation, regulatory execution, and site development activities into a cohesive approach that reduces risk, shortens timelines, and improves cost certainty for brownfield projects.

EPI brings deep expertise across environmental investigation, remediation, geotechnical engineering, and construction-phase environmental services, allowing clients to move efficiently from assessment through redevelopment under a single, coordinated delivery model. This integrated delivery model has been applied across more than 100 redevelopment projects and has positioned EPI as a trusted partner for clients navigating regulatory complexity, contaminated soils, and redevelopment constraints in urban and industrial environments.

Jesse Kropelnicki, CEO of Verdantas, said, “EPI adds a highly complementary set of capabilities to Verdantas, particularly in complex remediation and brownfield redevelopment. Their experience integrating environmental investigation, remediation, and development-phase execution strengthens our ability to support clients across the full project lifecycle in this geography. This acquisition meaningfully expands our Midwest footprint into Illinois and the Chicago area while reinforcing our strategy of building a technically deep, integrated consulting platform.”

EPI’s leadership team will continue to lead the business following the transaction, working closely with Verdantas to expand the firm’s geographic reach and apply its integrated redevelopment expertise across a broader geographic market.

“EPI has always focused on helping clients move complex sites forward by bringing accountability, regulatory expertise, and execution under one roof,” said Michael Musa, President and CEO of EPI. “Joining Verdantas allows us to scale that approach, expand into new markets, and deliver even greater value to clients as part of a broader, multidisciplinary platform.”

“EPI is a strong strategic addition to the Verdantas platform,” said James Soldano, Managing Partner at Sterling Investment Partners. “The company’s depth in remediation and brownfield redevelopment and its ability to support projects from investigation through execution align well with Verdantas’ long-term growth strategy.”

Clients of both Verdantas and EPI will benefit from expanded expertise in complex remediation, stronger regional coverage, and the combined strength of an integrated environmental and redevelopment consulting platform.

About Verdantas

Verdantas is a leader in digitally enabled technical consulting solutions for the environment, water, and energy transition markets. Blending balanced strengths in environmental and engineering expertise, we partner with clients and communities to create comprehensive solutions that contribute to a sustainable future. With a team of over 2,600 professionals nationwide, we harness diverse skills and innovative technologies to address complex challenges, protect vital resources, and foster resilient communities. For more information, visit www.verdantas.com.

About Sterling Investment Partners

Sterling Investment Partners is a leading private equity firm that has been building leading middle-market companies for 35 years with a highly experienced, cohesive team of senior investment professionals. Sterling focuses on control investments in value-added distribution and business services, acquiring businesses that the firm believes have strong, sustainable competitive advantages and significant opportunities for value creation. Over its history, Sterling has completed over 275 transactions, representing more than $35 billion in aggregate value. Sterling is ranked a Top 20 performing global middle market private equity firm by Dow Jones-HEC Paris, and was recognized as a Founder Friendly Investor by Inc.com. For more information, visit www.sterlinglp.com.

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SOURCE Verdantas LLC