What Griffith Company does

Griffith Company is a 120-plus-year-old heavy civil construction contractor headquartered in Brea, California, operating as a 100% employee-owned ESOP corporation since 2002. The company delivers infrastructure projects across airports, bridges, ports, roads, water treatment facilities, dams, and parks/redevelopment for federal, state, county, and municipal public agencies — most prominently Caltrans, the Port of Los Angeles, the Port of Long Beach, Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), the Metropolitan Water District, and the City and County of Los Angeles — with selective private developer work such as the LA Live street improvements for AEG.

Griffith operates through nine in-house service divisions (Environmental Services, Materials Recycling, Earthwork, Site Concrete, Landscape & Irrigation, Alternative Delivery, Demolition & Paving, Structural Concrete, and Underground Utilities), enabling self-perform on most heavy civil scopes. Its technical differentiators include experience with alternative project delivery methods (Design-Build, CMGC, Progressive Design-Build), GPS-enabled construction workflows, and domain specialization in environmental compliance work such as chloramination treatment systems. The company maintains eight physical locations across Southern California spanning Brea, Bakersfield, Lake Elsinore, Inglewood (LAX satellite), Montclair, San Diego, Santa Fe Springs, and Los Angeles.

The business model is project-based competitive bidding on public works contracts. In 2021, estimating teams bid 1,162 projects with a combined value of $2.9 billion, winning 154 contracts worth $633.5 million and placing $318.2 million of work. Pricing is determined through competitive public bidding with no consumer-facing or subscription offering. Revenue is recognized on a project-completion basis across multi-year backlogs that include mega-projects such as the $250 million San Diego International Airport ADP Improvements (the largest solo project in company history), the $300 million LAWA Utility and Landside Access Modernization JV, and the $168 million Pier E Container Yard project. Go-to-market relies on industry reputation, AGC leadership positions, safety award recognition, and joint-venture partnerships rather than traditional marketing.

Name

Griffith Company

Legal name

Griffith Company

Website

https://griffithcompany.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1902

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Griffith Company is a 120-year-old, 100% employee-owned heavy civil construction contractor in Southern California delivering airports, bridges, ports, roads, water infrastructure, and parks for public agencies including Caltrans, the Ports of LA and Long Beach, and LAWA.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Heavy Civil Construction Services

NAICS

Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction (2379), Water and Sewer Line and Related Structures Construction (237110)

SIC

Heavy Construction Other Than Bldg Const - Contractors (1600)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Works General Contracting (IMAFAAAG)

Keywords

• Heavy civil construction
• Highway construction
• Bridge construction
• Airport construction
• Underground utilities

Headquarters

HQ city

Brea

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Heavy Civil Construction Contracts: Traditional construction contracting model where the company bids on and delivers heavy civil construction projects for public and private sector clients. Revenue is generated through project completion with pricing based on competitive bids for public works projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Griffith Company is a heavy civil commercial construction contractor that delivers infrastructure projects through nine specialized service divisions: Environmental Services, Materials Recycling, Earthwork, Site Concrete, Landscape & Irrigation, Alternative Delivery, Demolition & Paving, Structural Concrete, and Underground Utilities. The company primarily bids on and executes public works projects for government agencies across California, including airports, bridges, ports, roads, water treatment facilities, and parks.

Product overview

Griffith Company is a heavy civil commercial construction company offering a comprehensive suite of construction services through specialized divisions. The company operates as a single unified service offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture, with nine distinct service divisions that work both independently and collaboratively on projects. These divisions include Environmental Services, Materials Recycling, Earthwork, Site Concrete, Landscape & Irrigation, Alternative Delivery (project delivery methods), Demolition & Paving, Structural Concrete, and Underground Utilities. The company serves market sectors including airports, bridges, ports, parks/redevelopment, roads, and heavy civil construction projects throughout California.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Environmental Services
• Materials Recycling
• Earthwork
• Site Concrete
• Landscape & Irrigation
• Alternative Delivery
• Demolition & Paving
• Structural Concrete
• Underground Utilities

Quantifiable outcome

• In 2021, estimating teams won 154 projects valued at $633.5 Million from $2.9 Billion in bids
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• International Transportation ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2025Historic joint venture contract with Griffith Company and International Transportation Service for the Pier G South Slip Fill project at the Port of Long Beach, representing Dutra Group's largest contract to date.
• Myers & Sons ConstructioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Joint venture partnership (MGJV - Myers & Sons Construction and Griffith Company) to deliver the Utility and Landside Access Modernization Program Enabling Project (LULEP) valued at $300 million for Los Angeles World Airports. The partnership completed 38 different projects over three years preparing LAX for construction of the Automated People Mover, Consolidated Rent-A-Car facility, and Intermodal Transportation Facilities.
• Coffman SpecialtiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Joint venture partnership for the $94 million I-5 North of Castaic to Kern County resurfacing and restoration project. The project covered 16 miles of pavement rehabilitation and was completed a year ahead of schedule through value engineering.
• Comet ElectriccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Joint venture partnership for the $81.3 million E Street Corridor Bus Rapid Transit project in San Bernardino. Comet Electric improved traffic signals, street lighting, and installed electrical and technological components at bus stations while Griffith handled construction. The project accumulated over 410,000 man hours without any lost time injury.
• Dutra GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Joint venture partnership with Dutra Group for the $124 million Cabrillo Way Marina project in San Pedro, constructing a fifty-acre marina with hundreds of new boat slips and docks for the Port of LA. Also partnered on Berths 142-143 Backland Improvements project at Port of Los Angeles.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Flatiron Construction: Heavy civil contractor (subsidiary of HOCHTIEF) specializing in transportation, water, and energy infrastructure. Competes with Griffith on Caltrans, port, and major highway projects in California and the western U.S.
• Tutor Perini Corporation: Major publicly-traded civil and building construction contractor with significant California heavy civil presence. Competes directly with Griffith on large public works transportation, airport, and infrastructure projects throughout California.
• Granite Construction: Large publicly-traded heavy civil contractor headquartered in California with overlapping markets in highways, airports, ports, rail, and water infrastructure. Granite is a direct competitor on Caltrans, LAWA, and Port of California projects and operates a similar vertically-integrated materials and construction model.
• Walsh Construction: Family-owned heavy civil and building contractor with California operations. Competes on highway, bridge, transit, and water infrastructure projects using alternative delivery methods similar to Griffith's CMGC/Design-Build approach.
• Coffman Specialties: California-based heavy civil contractor that partnered with Griffith on the $94M I-5 North of Castaic JV. Direct competitor on Caltrans highway rehabilitation projects.
• Myers & Sons Construction: California heavy civil contractor partnering with Griffith on the $300M LAWA LULEP JV. Competes on similar transportation, water, and infrastructure projects across Northern and Central California.
• Sukut Construction: California-based heavy civil contractor specializing in earthwork, grading, and site preparation. Direct competitor on earthmoving-heavy portions of infrastructure projects in Southern California.
• Security Paving Company: Southern California heavy civil and paving contractor competing on highway, airport, and public works projects throughout the same regional markets as Griffith.
• Skanska USA Civil: Civil construction arm of global contractor Skanska with strong California presence on transportation, water, and airport infrastructure. Direct competitor on LAWA, Caltrans, and other California public works projects.
• Dutra Group: California heavy civil and marine construction contractor partnering with Griffith on port projects (Cabrillo Way Marina, Berths 142-143). Direct competitor on Port of LA and Port of Long Beach marine infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/griffith-company

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Griffith Company