PITTSBURGH — When Wheeling-based McKinley Architecture and Engineering and Pittsburgh architecture firm MCF Architecture announced their merger Tuesday morning in the Steel City’s historic Frick Building, it was the culmination of a two-year courtship. Both sides wanted to make sure that this combination was something that would benefit everyone for years into the future.

What McKinley and MCF found out over those two years was this merger married two firms in a way that accentuated each other’s strengths and bolstered both sides in a way that will fortify them for a long time to come.

David H. McKinley, McKinley Architecture and Engineering’s board chair, and MCF Architecture President and CEO Timothy Powers put their signatures on a document Tuesday that brought together McKinley, a firm in its fifth decade, and MCF, a firm with more than 135 years of service. Both said the agreement will broaden their scope and make both stronger in the long run.

Powers said that, as the two sides got deeper into discussions, they found out that their respective strengths made for a good symbiotic relationship. MCF was a Pennsylvania firm wanting to move into West Virginia. McKinley was a West Virginia firm wanting to move into Pennsylvania. MCF’s focus was in higher education and healthcare architecture. McKinley’s focus was in K-12 construction, as well as civil and historic work.

“The fact that we’re a mismatch from a market leadership standpoint enables each of us to grow into the other person’s territory without disturbing the flow of business,” Powers said. “So it just worked out perfectly.”

This merger also allows two midsize firms to join together and accomplish more than they ever could individually, McKinley said. The combined firms will be able to spread their overhead costs across a larger body of revenue.

“The challenge of a midsize firm within the industry is well known,” McKinley said. “The depth of the midsize firm where you have size and structure and lots of organizational challenges, but you’re not quite large enough to be able to efficiently fund that overhead. The reality is that we’re both in that environment.

“And so bringing ourselves together, we’re able to leapfrog beyond most of our competitors, and be much more efficient,” he added.

A company with more than a century of history in Pennsylvania, MCF has been a fixture in the region.

Merging with another company was no small decision, which Powers said was why he was deliberate in the process.

“The entire history of this firm, there have always been generational changes,” he said. “It’s always emotional and it’s always difficult, but you have to respect it and the importance of it is what caused us to have a two-year due diligence plan. We wanted to make sure this was right.

“I’m going to rest easier knowing that the firm has a long-term future,” Powers continued.

McKinley also understands the importance of history. His own family’s firm has been a West Virginia staple for decades and has grown into an award-winning business that has placed itself among the nation’s best. So he wanted to make sure MCF’s history was honored.

“It’s an incredible legacy,” he said. “With that comes an obligation and we completely respect that. We want to do everything to preserve and expand the history. In fact, we’ll continue to operate in western Pennsylvania as MCF Architecture to preserve that.”

As important as history is to the two firms, the future is even more important. And both McKinley and Powers believe the future will be great with this merger.

“Today, we’re in West Virginia and Pennsylvania, but we intend to continue to expand,” McKinley said. “We think there are lots of opportunities geographically as well as among sectors. We think the future is very bright.”