Hammond, Kennedy, Whitney & Company, Inc. Announces Add-On Acquisition by Contract Land Staff, LLC

Indianapolis, IN – October 10, 2014 – Contract Land Staff, LLC (“CLS”), a nationwide Land Management and Right of Way Consulting Firm, announced their expansion into Canada with the acquisition of Peterson Land Consulting Ltd. (“PLC”). Based in Edmonton, Alberta Canada, PLC has specialized in land and right of way services for electrical generation, transmission and distribution acquisition, as well as experience in pipelines, substations, compressor stations and lease site projects since 1995.

“We are very pleased to announce this acquisition and partnership with PLC which further demonstrates CLS’s ongoing investment and commitment to the Right Of Way Industry, and continues CLS’s growth internationally, enabling us to serve our international as well as domestic clients,” said Brent Leftwich, President and CEO. “We are excited to leverage PLC’s electric experience and paired with our extensive electric and pipeline experience, this will allow us to expand geographically, while continuing to provide quality services in the U.S. and Canada.”

“This investment ensures that CLS is positioned not only to meet the needs of our clients today, but into the future as well. The quality Right of Way services CLS’s clients have come to expect will continue to be available, but now both in the U.S. and Canada.”

John Peterson, Founder and previous President of PLC, will now serve on the Board of PLC with Dan Vass serving as Vice President of Operations. Brent Leftwich, President and CEO, will continue to serve in his present position for the combined company.

About CLS

Founded in 1985, CLS is a leading provider of right of way consulting services in the United States. CLS’s services include a combination of land and property management solutions such as right of way acquisition, training, staffing, and land and real estate administration services. CLS’s proprietary Right of Way technology solutions include web-based GIS enabled CLSLiNK®, the GIS VIEWER® and the Virtual Right of Way Department (VROW®), along with the newly released mobile application for iPad’s ROWver. Together these right of way data management solutions represent the most comprehensive land records management, tracking, and GIS digital mapping software solutions in the industry. CLS serves pipeline, utility, electric transmission, rail, public sector, solar and wind generation, and telecommunications clients nationwide with Corporate Headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas. Regional Offices in Austin, Texas; Denver, Colorado; Lake Charles, Louisiana; McMurray, Pennsylvania; San Antonio, Texas; Victoria, Texas; Waterloo, Iowa; Westerville, Ohio and Williston, North Dakota. For more information, visit www.contractlandstaff.com.

About HKW

HKW is a private capital firm founded in 1903 and based in Indianapolis, Indiana with an office in New York. Since 1982, HKW has sponsored 41 platform transactions of lower middle-market companies throughout North America as well as 45 add-on acquisitions. For further information on HKW, please visit www.hkwinc.com.