The Korte Company

What The Korte Company does

The Korte Company is an employee-owned design-build construction firm founded in 1958 by Ralph Korte in Highland, Illinois. It delivers integrated design and construction services primarily to federal government, healthcare, distribution/logistics, and commercial clients across 43+ U.S. states, with three regional offices in Highland IL, St. Louis MO, and Las Vegas NV. Approximately 90% of the firm's work is executed under Design-Build delivery, supported by an in-house architectural design affiliate (Korte Design, Inc. and TKC Design, Inc.) that eliminates the architect-contractor handoff typical of design-bid-build projects. The company manages more than $400 million of construction volume annually and has completed over 4,500 projects since inception.

The firm's service portfolio spans core Design-Build, General Contracting, and Construction Management, supplemented by Korte Interiors (with A.I.S. and Haworth furniture dealer partnerships), Diversified Operations Group for small-to-medium projects ($50K-$500K), EM 385 Training, Emergency Services, ALTA Surveying, and Construction Assessments. Its proprietary 5D Macro-BIM technology provides real-time cost and schedule visualization during early design phases. Customer segments are weighted toward Department of Defense (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, NAVFAC, Air Force, Marine Corps), USPS, healthcare systems (Anderson Hospital, BJC, Kindred, Parkview), and large distribution clients (Walgreens, Amazon, Hitachi), with an 84% customer return rate. The firm is a founding member of the Design-Build Institute of America and has been consecutively ranked on ENR's Top Contractor list since 1986. Revenue is generated through project-based contracts ranging from $50,000 to $100 million, delivered through direct business development and relationship-based sales without channel intermediaries.

Name

The Korte Company

Legal name

The Korte Company

Website

https://korteco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1958

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The Korte Company is an employee-owned design-build construction firm founded in 1958, serving federal, healthcare, distribution, and commercial clients across 43+ U.S. states with over $400M in annual construction volume.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Construction Services

NAICS

Nonresidential Building Construction (2362), Commercial and Institutional Building Construction (236220), Architectural Services (54131)

SIC

General Bldg Contractors - Nonresidential Bldgs (1540)

akta.pro primary industry

Design-Build / EPC General Contracting (IMAFAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA), Construction Engineering & Constructability Consulting (BPAHAIAN), Office & Corporate Building Construction (IMAFACAA)

Keywords

• Design-build construction
• Commercial construction services
• Architectural design services
• Military healthcare construction
• Construction management general contracting

Headquarters

HQ city

St Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Construction Project Delivery: Revenue generated through design-build, general contracting, and construction management services for commercial construction projects ranging from small tenant finishes to $100 million Design-Build projects. Manages more than $400 million of construction volume each year.
2. Interior Design Services: Interior design services including furniture solutions, space planning, and installation through authorized dealer partnerships with A.I.S. and Haworth furniture brands.
3. Preconstruction Services: Preconstruction activities including market research, subcontractor prequalification, quantity surveys, cost estimating, schedule development, and value engineering.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Korte Company delivers design-build construction services—single-source responsibility combining architectural design and construction execution under one roof. They provide commercial construction projects ranging from small tenant finishes to $100 million Design-Build projects across healthcare, defense, distribution, manufacturing, education, and municipal sectors, handling preconstruction, architectural design, construction management, general contracting, interior design, surveying, and emergency restoration services.

Product overview

The Korte Company is a design-build construction firm offering an integrated portfolio of construction services. The core offering is Design-Build services (90% of work), supplemented by General Contracting and Construction Management as alternative delivery methods. Architectural Design is delivered through affiliated firms Korte Design, Inc. and TKC Design, Inc. Add-on services include Korte Interiors (interior design with A.I.S. and Haworth furniture partnerships), Diversified Operations Group (small-to-medium projects), EM 385 Training, Emergency Services, Small Construction, ALTA Surveying, and Construction Assessments. The company pioneered Design-Build in 1963 and serves markets including healthcare, education, military/defense, distribution centers, manufacturing, and commercial development across 43 U.S. states.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Korte Design, Inc. In-house architectural design affiliate providing full-service design services
• TKC Design, Inc.
• Korte Interiors
• Diversified Operations Group

Products and services

• Design-Build Services Primary construction delivery method providing single-source responsibility for design and construction phases, from estimation and pre-construction through architecture, engineering, subcontracting and post-construction. Accounts for 90% of company projects.
• General Contracting Traditional construction delivery for clients with existing architect and drawings, offering negotiated or hard-dollar bid options with full understanding of bidding processes.
• Construction Management Project delivery system facilitating design and construction by organizing people, materials, and equipment, serving as construction managers at risk to deliver projects on-time and on-budget.
• Architectural Design Services Full-service in-house design capabilities including architectural design, technical detailing, sustainable building science, interior design, medical planning, and 3D animation/visualization. Delivered through affiliated firm Korte Design, Inc. and TKC Design, Inc. in Nevada.
• Korte Interiors Interior design and turnkey furniture solutions transforming raw square footage into functional spaces. Includes authorized dealer partnerships with A.I.S. and Haworth furniture, featuring CaseWorks cabinetry, conference/training rooms, lounge areas, office solutions, outdoor furniture, quick ship options, reception areas, task seating, and workstations.
• Diversified Operations Group Division specializing in small- to medium-sized projects ($50,000 to $500,000) offering construction management solutions with a single point of contact for new construction, additions, renovations, and ongoing maintenance.
• Emergency Services Emergency construction and disaster restoration services available 24/7.

Quantifiable outcome

• 84% of customers return for additional projects
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers21 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• A.I.S. (AIS, Inc.)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized furniture dealer partnership providing office furniture, caseworks, and interior solutions. A.I.S. is a key furniture supplier for interior design projects, enabling The Korte Company to offer complete turnkey furniture solutions as part of their interior design services.
• HaworthcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized Haworth furniture dealer partnership providing premium office furniture solutions. As an authorized Haworth dealer, The Korte Company offers high-quality workspace furniture as part of their interior design offerings.
• Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member of DBIA since its establishment. As one of seven founding members, The Korte Company helped establish Design-Build as a recognized construction delivery method in the United States. DBIA certification programs validate their team's expertise.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Barton Malow Company: Employee-owned design-build contractor with comparable scale and similar vertical mix including healthcare, defense, sports, and industrial markets. Directly competes for many of the same DoD, education, and commercial projects as Korte.
• Gilbane Building Company: Family-owned, private construction services firm offering design-build, construction management, and general contracting across healthcare, education, government, and commercial markets — directly overlapping with Korte's portfolio.
• Hensel Phelps: Employee-owned design-build construction firm serving federal, healthcare, aviation, and commercial markets. Competes directly for DoD, USPS, and healthcare projects where Korte operates.
• McCarthy Building Companies: 100% employee-owned design-build contractor with a comparable mix of healthcare, education, commercial, and federal work — overlapping client roster including hospital systems and government agencies.
• Burns & McDonnell: Employee-owned engineering, architecture, and construction firm with deep federal/defense contracting expertise. Comparable mix of design-build delivery, DoD portfolio, and employee-ownership structure.
• Walsh Construction: Family-founded, employee-owned general contractor with significant design-build capability and overlapping markets in healthcare, education, and government. Comparable mid-market scale.
• Mortenson Construction: Employee-owned builder with strong wind/solar and federal portfolios. Direct overlap on renewable/institutional construction and a similar private, employee-owned governance model.

Broad incumbents

• Turner Construction Company: Largest domestic general contractor with broad capabilities across healthcare, education, defense, and commercial markets. Larger scale and broader geographic footprint than Korte, but competes for many of the same institutional clients.
• Skanska USA: Global construction firm with deep U.S. healthcare, education, and civil infrastructure portfolio. Competes for larger healthcare and institutional design-build projects where Korte also pursues work.
• Clark Construction Group: Large national design-build contractor with strong federal and commercial portfolio, including healthcare, education, and government work. Competes for many of the same institutional accounts as Korte but at larger project sizes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kortegreenbuild
• Facebookfacebook.com/thekortecompany
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-korte-company

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Subsidiaries2 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 The Korte Company