Give 'Em A Brake Safety

What Give 'Em A Brake Safety does

Give 'Em A Brake Safety (GEBS) is a Michigan-based traffic control company operating as a subsidiary of AWP Safety. The company provides equipment sales, equipment rental, and professional traffic control services to construction contractors, state and local Departments of Transportation, and event organizers across Michigan and Wisconsin. Founded in 2003 by Dan Babcock and Mike Mooney—with leadership roots traceable to a 1979 predecessor business (Work Safe Safety Supply Company)—GEBS operates nine branches: Grandville (headquarters), Jackson, Lansing, Shelby Township/Macomb, Marquette, Saginaw, Kingsley/Traverse City, Wyoming (maintenance shop), and Fitchburg, Wisconsin. The company employs 101–250 staff with over 125 years of combined industry experience and offers 24/7 emergency response.

The product portfolio spans personal protective equipment, channelization devices (traffic drums, 42-inch channelizer cones, ADA-compliant pedestrian products), barricades and barriers (including MASH/NCHRP-350 certified crash cushions, water-filled barriers, attenuator trucks, and end treatments), signs and stands, and major equipment (traffic signals, message boards, arrow boards, worksite lighting, runway closure markers, camera/radar/portable sign trailers, and smart work zone systems). Notable proprietary technologies include JamLogic web-based smart work zone software (real-time device management, traffic analytics, GPS mapping, streaming video, automated alerts), Nightbrite Solar LED Light Tower technology (claimed 40% greater brightness at equivalent power consumption), and Sequential LED Taper Guides (wireless synchronized directional lighting). Professional services include sign installation, road and lane closures, flagging operations, emergency response, special event traffic management, and highway guardrail installation.

GEBS uses a direct-to-consumer, quote-based sales and rental model with no e-commerce platform or publicly listed pricing. Three revenue streams—Equipment Sales (hardware_sales), Equipment Rental (usage_based), and Traffic Control Services (professional_services)—are delivered through company-owned branches with the support of family-style employee incentive compensation. Ownership history includes a 2013 majority recapitalization by RHV Capital and current operation under AWP Safety. Industry positioning is reinforced through formal affiliations with MDOT, MIDRIVE, MITA, CRA, and ATSSA, and the company positions itself as Michigan's largest traffic control firm. Revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Give 'Em A Brake Safety

Legal name

Give 'Em A Brake Safety, LLC

Website

https://gebsafety.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Give 'Em A Brake Safety (GEBS) is Michigan's largest traffic control company, selling, renting, and operating traffic safety equipment and work zone services for construction contractors, state DOTs, and event organizers across nine branches in Michigan and Wisconsin.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Traffic Control Services

NAICS

Security Guards and Patrol Services (561612)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Equipment Rental & Leasing (7350)

akta.pro primary industry

Portable/Temporary Signage & Message Systems (Temporary Signs, PCMS/VMS, Arrow Boards) (TLAJALAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Flagging & On-Site Traffic Control Labor Services (Flaggers, Spotters, Lane Closures) (TLAJALAG), Work Zone Barrier Systems & Protection (Concrete Barriers, Water-Filled Barriers, Crash Cushions, Truck-Mounted Attenuators) (TLAJALAF), Road Safety Barriers & Crash Attenuation Systems (Guardrails, Median Barriers, End Treatments) (TLAJAGAA)

Keywords

• Traffic control equipment
• Work zone safety
• Traffic management services
• Construction safety products
• Highway traffic control

Headquarters

HQ city

Grandville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Equipment Sales: Sale of traffic control equipment including signs, cones, barricades, barriers, lights, arrow boards, message centers, and attenuators. Products available for purchase with extensive inventory.
2. Equipment Rental: Rental of traffic control equipment for construction projects. Customers can rent arrow boards, traffic cones, roll-up signs, message centers, light towers, radar speed trailers, and impact attenuators.
3. Traffic Control Services: Professional services including sign installation, road closures, lane closures, flagging operations, emergency jobs, special events, and highway guardrail installation. Available 24/7.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Give 'Em A Brake Safety sells, rents, and services traffic control equipment and provides professional traffic control services for road construction, maintenance, and special event projects across Michigan and Wisconsin. Equipment offerings include arrow boards, message boards, traffic signals, barricades, traffic cones/drums, signs, PPE, light towers, attenuator trucks, and smart work zone systems. Service offerings include sign installation, road/lane closures, flagging operations, emergency response, special event traffic control, and highway guardrail installation, available 24/7.

Product overview

Give 'Em A Brake Safety is Michigan's largest traffic control company offering an extensive inventory of traffic control equipment and professional services. The product portfolio includes Major Equipment (traffic signals, message boards, arrow boards, worksite lighting, runway closures, smart systems, attenuator trucks), Barricades and Barriers (plastic panel barricades, A-frame barricades, water-filled barriers, airport barricades, crash cushions/end treatments), Signs and Stands (roll-up signs, various portable sign stands), Channelization Products (traffic drums, cones, ADA products), Personal Protective Equipment, Barricade Lights, and Miscellaneous Equipment. All products are available for rental or purchase and are designed to meet Michigan specifications. The company also provides complementary services including sign installation, road/lane closures, flagging, emergency response, special events, and highway guardrail installation. The company is an AWP Safety Company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Personal Protective Equipment

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• AWP SafetymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent company designation. Give Em A Brake Safety operates as An AWP Safety Company, indicating ownership or affiliation with AWP Safety organization.
• Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT)coreOthersListed as an association/certification partner. Company serves MDOT projects and maintains expertise in Michigan DOT specifications.
• ATSSAcoreOthersAmerican Traffic Safety Services Association membership. Industry certification and standards organization for traffic safety.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Work Area Protection (Hill & Smith): Manufacturer and supplier of work zone safety products including barricades, signs, and barriers under the Hill & Smith umbrella. Comparable to GEBS on the equipment side of the business.
• AWP Safety: Parent company and the largest direct national traffic control and work zone safety services provider in the U.S. Operates the platform that GEBS sits within, so it is a direct parent peer but also GEBS's most direct national-scale comparable.
• Area Wide Protective (AWP) / AWP Safety: National traffic safety services and equipment firm providing flagging, lane closures, and work zone management; effectively GEBS's sister/parent organization and the most direct comparable in scope and customer base.

Emerging players

• Plasticade: Manufacturer of traffic cones, barricades, and channelizing devices sold through distribution. A potential supplier/competing brand for many of GEBS's equipment SKUs.
• Cortina Safety Products: Traffic safety equipment manufacturer offering cones, barriers, and signs. Adjacent competitor on the equipment product side of GEBS's rental and sales business.

Direct peers

• Traffic Management Inc. Specialty traffic control contractor serving construction, utility, and event customers with flagging, lane closures, and equipment rental; overlaps GEBS in service mix and DOT contractor base.
• Safety Zone LLC: Traffic control and work zone services firm providing flaggers, lane closures, and equipment rental in the Midwest; directly comparable service offering to GEBS.
• National Safety Services (NSS): Provider of work zone safety services, equipment, and training for DOTs and contractors nationally. Comparable in customer base and integrated service-plus-equipment model.
• Horizon Signal Technologies: Manufacturer and supplier of portable traffic signals and intelligent work zone systems. Directly overlaps with GEBS's portable traffic signal and JamLogic smart work zone product lines.
• RoadSafe Traffic Systems: National traffic control and pavement marking services company with a comparable mix of work zone services, equipment rental, and DOT contracts. Directly competes with GEBS on multi-state and Midwest highway projects.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/gebsafety
• Instagraminstagram.com/gebsafety
• Xx.com/gebsafety

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Give 'Em A Brake Safety