ANAHEIM, Calif. & ST. GEORGE, Utah, Feb 15, 2007 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN), a leading provider of outsourced services to public agencies, today announced its expansion into Utah with the opening of a new office in St. George City. The St. George office of Willdan (the Company's largest subsidiary and among the largest providers of municipal engineering services in the western United States) is the firm's first location in the state of Utah.

As the hub of southern Utah, St. George City is located approximately 120 miles northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada and borders Arizona. A leading travel destination in Utah, Washington County has experienced a booming economy in recent years, driven in part by tourism and accelerated relocation into the area. According to the U.S. Census Bureau of the U.S. Department of Commerce, St. George, Utah was the nation's fastest-growing metro area between April 1, 2000, and July 1, 2005. St. George has a population of approximately 64,000 (metropolitan area population of approximately 118,000), and the city is the county seat of Washington County, Utah.

"Scalable geographic expansion in attractive markets is one of our Company's primary strategic objectives for 2007, and Willdan's penetration into Utah demonstrates our growth plan in motion," said W. Tracy Lenocker, Interim Chief Executive Officer of Willdan Group. "As communities like St. George undergo expansion, continuous population growth and subsequent demands on infrastructure are the two chief drivers of demand for outsourced service. In the St. George area, there is huge demand for housing and related commercial and infrastructure development. Public agencies are forced to keep up with the workload created by this demand, and they are increasingly outsourcing services as a cost effective and efficient alternative to permanently hiring personnel with highly specialized skills."

Regional Manager Kevin Elliott will oversee the operations and business development of Willdan's new St. George office, which will serve as a satellite to Willdan's Las Vegas Regional office. Mr. Elliott has over 28 years of civil engineering experience in both the public and private sectors. Throughout his professional career, he has served as project manager and/or lead project engineer on numerous roadway and infrastructure projects. Mr. Elliott has significant experience and specialized expertise in arterial and roadway design, freeway and interchange design, flood control facilities and storm drain design, and utilities design.

Mr. Elliott stated, "Willdan has been under contract to St. George City since 2002, and we look forward to expanding our relationships in the area as we establish our footprint within this high growth market."

Roger Condie will be the local manager of the St. George office. A Certified Building Official (CBO), Mr. Condie is the former Building Official for the City of North Las Vegas and a former Plans Examination Manager for Clark County, Nevada.

Willdan's St. George office is located at 435 East Tabernacle, Suite 101, St. George, Utah 84770, (435) 986-8202. Including the new St. George, Utah office, Willdan Group's business operates through a network of 24 locations throughout California, and in Washington, Arizona, Nevada, Utah and Florida.

About Willdan Group, Inc.

Founded over 40 years ago, Willdan Group, Inc. is a leading provider of outsourced services to public agencies located primarily in California and other western states. Willdan Group, Inc. assists cities and other government agencies with a broad range of services, including civil engineering, building and safety services, geotechnical engineering, financial and economic consulting, and disaster preparedness and homeland security. www.willdangroup.com

Willdan, a wholly owned subsidiary of Willdan Group, Inc., is an engineering and planning firm dedicated to serving the individual needs of cities, towns, counties, special districts, as well as state and federal agencies. Willdan has offices throughout California, Arizona, Nevada and Utah, serving more than 400 public sector clients. www.willdan.com

Forward-Looking Statements

Safe Harbor Statement: Statements in this press release which are not purely historical, including statements regarding Willdan Group'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 the Company will not be able to expand its planning services within the southwest Utah market. It is important to note that the Company'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, a downturn in public and private sector construction activity in the southwest Utah market, a slowdown in the local and regional economies of southwest Utah, new legislation that limits the ability of state, regional or local agencies to contract for the Company's privatized services, and the loss of or inability to hire additional qualified professionals. The Company's business could be affected by a number of other factors, including the risk factors listed from time to time in the Company's SEC reports including, but not limited to, the Registration Statement on Form S-1/A filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 3, 2006. The Company cautions investors not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Willdan Group, Inc. disclaims any obligation, and does not undertake to update or revise any forward-looking statements in this press release.

SOURCE: Willdan Group, Inc.

Willdan Group, Inc.
Mallory McCamant, Chief Financial Officer, 714-940-6327
mallory@willdangroup.com
or
The Abernathy MacGregor Group Inc.
Moira Conlon, 213-630-6550
MHC@abmac.com

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