McKinstry Co., a Seattle-based mechanical engineering, construction, and design firm with an office here, says it has bought Ramsey Plumbing & Heating, a longtime Spokane plumbing contractor.


McKinstry President Doug Moore says that Wendy and Duane Ramsey, who founded Ramsey Plumbing & Heating 30 years ago, will continue to lead that operation, which is located at 4023 East Central. The terms of the acquisition werent disclosed.


Ramsey Plumbing & Heatings 60 employees will be retained as that company becomes part of McKinstry, he says. The Ramseys were unavailable for comment.


McKinstry has 20 workers here, who are based in the Hutton Building downtown. The company is looking for a site here to establish its Inland Northwest operations hub, Moore says.


Its Spokane office has landed contracts worth $75 million since it opened in 2001, he says. The companys clients include Washington State and Eastern Washington universities, the University of Idaho, Wilbur School District, and Lake Pend Oreille School District.


In addition, McKinstry has had an ongoing partnership with Ramsey Plumbing, which has helped it provide services not easily delivered from McKinstrys Seattle office to clients that include Avista Corp., the city of Spokane, and others.


McKinstry also has branch offices in Tacoma; Portland, Ore.; Boise, Idaho; Denver; San Antonio; Madison, Wis.; and Minneapolis.


Contact Mike McLean at (509) 344-1266 or via e-mail at mikem@spokanejournal.com.