ANAHEIM, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: WLDN) today announced that  Pueblo County School District 70 (Pueblo School District), a school district in Colorado, has selected Willdan for a $14 million performance contract for energy-efficient facility improvements.  Willdan will leverage energy savings from energy-efficiency projects to fund capital improvements.  Through this contract, Willdan will lead the design, bidding, construction management, commissioning, and measurement and verification process to upgrade controls and equipment at 23 buildings, including 19 K-12 schools, delivering an estimated $600,000 per year in annual energy savings.  This contract follows a collaborative effort between Pueblo School District and Willdan to develop a district-wide, 15-year master plan to maintain and update K-12 facilities within Pueblo School District.

“A lot of school districts unfortunately defer facility costs as long as possible, resulting in expensive emergency replacements or repairs that could have been avoided with planning and long-term budgeting,” said Tom Brisbin, Willdan’s CEO. “Pueblo School District, however, has been very proactive by planning for future maintenance and energy resources.  We look forward to using our expertise in energy project planning and delivery to help Pueblo School District move their master plan from paper to real energy savings and improved comfort at schools.”

“It’s important that our students receive a quality education in a space that is comfortable for learning and that operates as efficiently as possible,” said Monte Montez, the Facility Director for Pueblo School District.  “Willdan has helped us develop a mix of energy-saving improvements that pay for themselves in the long-run, avoid unnecessary costs, and, most importantly, will improve our students’ and teachers’ day to day experiences.”

Willdan will coordinate with the Colorado Energy Office, which provides direction for the Energy Performance Contracting Program and general oversight on projects and energy savings measurements in Colorado.  Willdan’s proposed projects include LED lighting, controls expansion and optimization throughout the district, roof and ceiling replacements, new HVAC systems at three schools, high efficiency condensing boilers, emergency power sources, and retro-commissioning to improve the performance of existing equipment.

About Pueblo County School District 70
Pueblo County School District 70 (Pueblo School District) is located in Pueblo, Colorado.  It was consolidated from 34 smaller school districts in 1950 and is the largest geographical school district in the state of Colorado.  Pueblo School District educates over 8,000 students from all over Pueblo County.  For more information, visit Pueblo School District’s website at https://www.district70.org/ or follow Pueblo School District on Facebook.

About Willdan 
Willdan provides professional consulting and technical services to utilities, public agencies and private industry throughout the United States.  The Company's service offerings span a broad set of complementary disciplines that include energy efficiency and sustainability, engineering and planning, financial and economic consulting, and national preparedness.  Willdan provides integrated technical solutions to extend the reach and resources of its clients, and provides all services through its subsidiaries specialized in each segment. For additional information, visit Willdan's website at www.willdan.com.

Forward-Looking Statements 
Statements in this press release that are not purely historical, including statements regarding Willdan's intentions, hopes, beliefs, expectations, representations, projections, estimates, plans or predictions of the future are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  The forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, the risk that Willdan will not be able to expand its services or meet the needs of customers in markets in which it operates.  It is important to note that Willdan’s actual results could differ materially from those in any such forward-looking statements.  Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to, Willdan’s ability to adequately complete projects in a timely manner, Willdan’s ability to compete successfully in the highly competitive energy efficiency services market, changes in state, local, and regional economies and government budgets, Willdan’s ability to win new contracts, to renew existing contracts (including with its two primary customers) and to compete effectively for contract awards through bidding processes and Willdan’s ability to successfully integrate its acquisitions and execute on its growth strategy.  Willdan’s business could be affected by a number of other factors, including the risk factors listed from time to time in Willdan’s reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, the Annual Report on Form 10-K filed for the year ended December 29, 2017.  Willdan cautions investors not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release.  Willdan disclaims any obligation to, and does not undertake to, update or revise any forward-looking statements in this press release.

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