Badge buys 'footprint' in Queensland

ONE of Queensland's largest privately-owned construction companies has been sold to a South Australian firm.

Badge Constructions managing director Jim Whiting.

ONE of Queensland's largest privately-owned construction companies has been sold to a South Australian firm.

Sunshine Coast-based Evans Harch yesterday announced it had been purchased by Badge Constructions for an undisclosed sum.

The sale will add $150 million a year to the South Australian company's revenue.

Evan Harch, which employs about 100 people, will maintain its own brand.

Badge managing director Jim Whiting said the acquisition strengthened the company's reach in the Sunshine State.

"Evans Harch was chosen because of its experience in the growth corridor of southeast Queensland," he said.

"The work they do is just about identical to the work we do - aged care, schools, health and defence. What this does is it gives us a much bigger footprint in Queensland, about the same size as our SA footprint."

Evans Harch founder and managing director Trevor Harch will chair an advisory board for the company.

"With a contracting construction sector, being part of a larger, national company helps when it comes to pitching for work and getting the work done," Mr Harch said.

Badge is now expected to command revenue of about $500 million annually.

The company's Queensland operations will be headquartered in Maroochydore, supported by a satellite office in Brisbane, where Badge employs about 40 workers.

Mr Whiting said the company would now grow its smallest office in Perth, either organically or by acquisition.

"We have around 90 employees in Perth and what's in our business plan is to have three evenly-sized offices," he said.