A nationally recognized Wheeling-based architectural firm has merged with a Pennsylvania-based firm to introduce more sports architecture projects in the region.

McKinley Architecture+Engineering announced Friday it has merged with the JTSA Sports Architecture firm. The two companies have completed numerous sports complexes together, and both company’s leadership sees the merger as an opportunity to increase their capability and capacity for larger projects.

The firms will keep their names separate for the time being, according to John Culler, president of Beyond Marketing, which works with McKinley. Neither company will move its operations into the other’s locations for now.

What the two companies will gain through the merger is the ability to exchange their resources and expertise at an expedited pace. Culler added the combination is beneficial for both companies as they have “worked well together in the past” on various projects.

“We started to discuss the idea of a merger almost a year ago,” described McKinley Architecture+Engineering President Ernest Dellatorre. “Together, we have successfully

completed numerous sports complexes, so it became clear we could have more impact by

merging.”

Mckinley Architecture+Engineering has spent four decades in the business with a network of six offices and 50 team members across the Ohio Valley in addition to other West Virginia and Pennsylvania locations.

JSTA Sports boasts a team of specialists dedicated to sports architecture and recreation. The sports facilities the company creates include fields, grandstands, scoreboards, lighting, courts, tracks and training centers.

The group has also played a hand in the design of projects from NCAA football stadiums to regional community parks.

“We believe performance is everything,” said JTSA Sports President James Sauer. “Our sports facilities are designed to bring out the highest performance levels of teams.”

Sauer added that JSTA Sports decided to merge because the company “felt the time was right.”

With JSTA Sports having a smaller team and fewer resources than McKinley Architecture+Engineering, Culler outlined the Pennsylvania firm will be able to utilize McKinley Architecture+Engineering’s larger resource pool after the merger.

“As a leader in the sports architecture field, we will be able to ensure that our client base is served” noted Sauer. “The sports architecture part of the business is a fast-growing specialty in the industry, and we look forward to staying on the leading edge.”

Both will continue their work spanning Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania with increased ease due to the merger, added Culler.