While Amentum is a new company, it is far from a new face doing business for government nuclear and environmental agencies, a senior executive said Tuesday.
The former AECOM Management Services branch officially became Amentum on Friday with the closure of the $2.4 billion sale to affiliates of New York-based investment firms Lindsay Goldberg and American Securities LLC.
“We are not a small upstart,” Executive Vice President and General Manager for Nuclear and Environment Mark Whitney told Weapons Complex Morning Briefing by telephone as Amentum started its second full business day as an independent company.
The company has virtually the same 20,000-person workforce spread across 48 states and internationally as it did in October before AECOM announced the sale. John Vollmer, who headed the government contracting branch at AECOM, stays on as the CEO of Amentum. Likewise, Whitney and others from the AECOM Management Services hierarchy migrated to the new company.
Whitney spent four years in management at AECOM after working in senior roles at the Energy Department Office of Environmental Management and the semiautonomous National Nuclear Security Administration from 2005 through 2015.
The new company this week launched its website and reached out to government customers about the changeover.
“They want to know and ensure they have a strong base within the industry,” Whitney said. Amentum can cite a 116-year history that includes predecessor companies such as Morrison-Knudsen, URS, and AECOM.
The new owners from Wall Street can also ensure hefty financial backing. “They have over $35 billion in assets under management. They are not small,” Whitney said.
There were no layoffs upon the exit from AECOM, and the company actually plans to do more hiring over time, Whitney said.
“The top-line message is from me and my management: This is business as usual … with some improvements as we move forward,” Whitney said.
