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Local Pittsburgh Engineering Firm Awarded Major Bahamas Project

MOON TOWNSHIP, PA – August 31, 2006 –Chester Engineers has been awarded a high-profile contract by the Water and Sewerage Corporation of the Bahamas to provide engineering and planning services for a state-of-the-art regional wastewater and sewage treatment facility serving the central portion of the Island of New Providence in Nassau including new housing developments and the incoming $1.6 billion Baha Mar mega-resort.

Robert O. Agbede, President and CEO of Chester Engineers, the largest municipal engineering services firm in Western Pennsylvania and the largest African-American owned engineering firm of its kind in the continental United States, said he will personally spearhead the project. Already, a five-man Chester Engineers team has begun preliminary studies to assess the best approach for designing the plant in a modular or phased fashion.

“We are all very excited about the opportunities in the Bahamas,” Mr. Agbede said. “I plan to be very involved in this project along with my project director because I feel strongly about the steps the Water and Sewerage Corporation has made to ensure a better future for the Bahamas. The new treatment facility in Nassau will be a benefit to Bahamas’ tourism and resort industry as well as the local community.”

The new treatment facility, described as an “anchor project” for the Water and Sewerage Corporation, is intended to satisfy the needs of existing and upcoming residential developments in the area as well as the expected needs of the Baha Mar resort development.

Chester Engineers will assess future loading and flow requirements at the new water treatment facility, and help develop cost effective and environmentally-sound treatment approaches for treating wastewater from the area to be served.  Chester Engineers also plans to explore options for providing the ability to reclaim water for beneficial uses such as irrigation.

According to Agbede, Chester Engineers plans to play a major role in the Water and Sewerage Corporation’s Integrated National Water Development Strategy by introducing innovative technologies and outside-of-the-box ideas.

“We understand that the Water and Sewerage Corporation is embarking on a new vision, getting ready to meet the challenges of the fast developing-island,” added Agbede. “We are thrilled to be a part of this excitement as they become more proactive in anticipating the needs of the growing community. We are eager to assist the Corporation as they explore new technologies to harness, collect and treat water.”

About Chester Engineers
Chester Engineers, headquartered in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh, is the engineer-of-record for water/wastewater engineering and management consultancy in more than 80 municipalities and authorities across Pennsylvania. The company, which is the largest municipal engineering firm in Western Pennsylvania and the largest African-American owned engineering firm of its kind in the continental United States, also has 10 other offices across the U.S. and works with clients across the globe.

CEO Robert O. Agbede attended the University of Pittsburgh and graduated with a Bachelors and Masters degree in engineering. He formed ATS, which stands for Advanced Technology Systems, in 1987, and from the beginning, ATS embodied Agbede’s vision of applying science and technology to create innovative solutions. The company flourished under the helm of Agbede as he began to work on a variety of projects with the experts from Chester Engineers. Both companies complemented each other well, and the growth potential of the combined markets led ATS to acquire Chester in late 2003, creating the new Chester Engineers with Agbede as President and CEO.