VHB Acquires Texas Security Firm Fortress and Launches New Security Practice.

WATERTOWN, Mass. -- National Security Expert Albert Samano Joins Engineering Firm as New Security Demands Emerge in Transportation and Land Development Projects

To meet the growing demand for security-related services in transportation and land development construction projects, Vanasse Hangen

Brustlin, Inc. (VHB), today announced the acquisition of Austin, Tex.-based Fortress, Inc., a management consulting firm specializing in the design, development, implementation and evaluation of emergency preparedness programs. As a result, national security expert Albert Samano will join VHB as Director of Transportation Security to direct the launch of VHB's new security-related services in this important and emerging area.

The emergence of Homeland Security regulations around infrastructure and large development projects creates new demands among transportation and highway officials, contractors, and developers. VHB will now provide emergency preparedness services for a variety of industrial environments including vulnerability assessments for security, natural and technological threats/hazards, design and development of emergency management plans, procedures, training and drills and exercise programs.

Samano, who is currently advising emergency preparedness program readiness around the Democratic National Convention in Boston, is well-know in the industry as one of the most experienced transportation security experts in the country. In the past, he provided emergency preparedness consulting services for different projects in a variety of industries, including transportation, commercial nuclear power, utilities, insurance, and construction. Clients include Mass. Turnpike Authority, Boston Edison Company, Mass. Highway Department, Toledo Edison, and the U.S. Dept. of Energy.

"We've watched different aspects of transportation projects evolve over the years, most recently the emergence of security-related issues as more attention is paid to prevention and readiness within our national infrastructure. Having Albert Samano and the Fortress team on board, enables us to provide the highest level of expertise in this area," said Michael Carragher, Senior Vice President of Transportation Services at VHB.

For over 20 years, VHB has designed infrastructure to make the movement of people and goods more efficient and economical. VHB has planned and designed highways, urban streets, railways, transit systems, airport facilities, intelligent transportation systems, and traffic management programs - all key components of our national transportation network. From environmentally sound regional transportation plans to services on some of the largest public works projects in the nation, VHB's transportation solutions provide immediate benefits and flexibility to handle tomorrow's transportation innovations.

About Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc.

Headquartered in Watertown, Massachusetts, VHB/Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. is a 700-person engineering, planning, and applied sciences firm that provides integrated transportation, land development, and environmental services to public, private and institutional clients. VHB has 13 office locations throughout the eastern United States in Watertown, Boston, and Springfield Massachusetts; Bedford, New Hampshire; Middletown, Connecticut; Providence, Rhode Island; Edison, New Jersey; Newport News, Richmond, Virginia Beach, and Williamsburg, Virginia; and Orlando, and Palmetto, Florida. Premier building publication Engineering News Record (ENR) recently ranked VHB 87 of the Top 500 U.S. Design Firms. VHB was also included among ENR's Top 50 U.S. Transportation Firms, Top 25 Mass Transit/Light Rail Firms, Top 25 Retail Engineering Consulting Firms, and Top 200 Environmental Services Firms. VHB was proudly named in 2004 as one of the top 50 places to work in the U.S. by the Society for Human Resources Management and Great Places to Work Institute.