Eric Stern has helped shape South Florida’s famous shimmering seaside skyline as an engineering expert and entrepreneur.
Over the last 20 year, he has played a major role In the engineering, testing and completion of a great portion of the region’s modern high-rise buildings and iconic structures, such as Brickell City Center, Miami Marlins loanDepot Park, Porsche Design Tower, Aston Martin Tower and more.
As CEO of Skyrise Engineering & Testing the firm grew from two employees to more than 40 in just four years. The Skyrise team led by Stern has featured multidisciplinary experts in geotechnical engineering, environmental consulting, construction materials testing, and specialty inspection services for clients throughout South Florida and beyond.
Skyrise earned a reputation for technical excellence, responsiveness, and innovative problem-solving across a wide range of <a href="https://bitcomme.com/medusa-ransomware-hits-500-critical-infrastructure-orgs-by-buying-access/” title=”Medusa Ransomware Hits 500 Critical Infrastructure Orgs by Buying Access”>infrastructure, commercial, residential, and public-sector projects. In addition to its core engineering and testing capabilities, Skyrise specialized services have included vibration monitoring, instrumentation, and specialty inspections.
Since its founding, Skyrise has experienced rapid growth while maintaining a strong commitment to quality, client service, and professional expertise. All of which has led to the South Florida firm’s next leap upward: to join the fast-growing national engineering and consulting consortium Certerra.
With its acquisition of Skyrise, Certerra’s fifth major acquisition of 2026, the California-based company further strengthens its presence throughout the Southeast region. Since 2021, Certerra has unified more than 20 businesses into a national platform that combines local expertise with specialized capabilities and scaled resources. With a team of more than 1,800 engineers, technicians, and scientists across almost 70 offices and laboratory facilities, Certerra is the partner of choice for infrastructure asset owners, contractors, design professionals and manufacturers across the nation. Together with its clients, Certerra helps ensure that communities are built to last. Certerra is a portfolio company of New York based private equity firm OceanSound Partners, which invests in technology and technology-based services companies to drive transformational growth.
“Skyrise has built an outstanding reputation in one of the fastest-growing and most dynamic markets in the country,” stated Ed Lyon, Chief Executive Officer of Certerra, in the acquisition announcement. “Skyrise has demonstrated a strong commitment to technical excellence, client service, and entrepreneurial growth, and we are excited to partner with them as we continue delivering exceptional value to our clients.”
According to Stern, “joining Certerra represents an exciting next chapter for Skyrise. Through this partnership, we gain access to additional resources, technical expertise, and a broader national network that will create new opportunities for both our employees and clients while preserving the culture and responsiveness that have fueled our success.”
Helping Stern quickly build Skyrise into a regional leader has been his membership in Entrepreneurs’ Organization South Florida (EO SOFLO). The group is one of the world’s largest EO chapters, fostering entrepreneurship and overall economic growth in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. More than 300 EO SOFLO member companies account for more than $3 billion in yearly revenues and 11,000 jobs in the tri-county area.
Stern first joined EO SOFLO through its Accelerator program, an opportunity he suggests for any prospective EO member no matter the size of the business. He says all the EO offerings, opportunities and events have been extremely beneficial, especially sharing experiences with like-minded entrepreneurs. “It’s so helpful to be able to talk about more than just your wins without judgement. We all have our struggles, but EO is a safe space where members are open about their own challenges and want to see you succeed.”
“Our chapter is an amazing mix of top entrepreneurs who support one another to even greater success,” said Kip True, current EO SOFLO chapter president and founder of Division One Solutions staffing and consulting firm. “We’re all excited for Eric’s latest giant step merging Skyrise into the impressive Certerra engineering network.”
