Thoroughbred

Name

Thoroughbred

Legal name

Thoroughbred Engineering

Website

https://thoroughbredfirm.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lexington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Services / Project-Based Engineering & Construction: Thoroughbred generates revenue by providing integrated engineering, surveying, geotechnical, architectural, and construction management services on a project-by-project basis. Services span due diligence, site selection, surveying, architecture, civil/structural engineering, permitting, special inspections, materials testing, and construction management. Revenue is derived from consulting fees, design fees, and construction/project delivery (design-bid-build and design-build delivery models).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Thoroughbred is an integrated design, engineering, and construction firm delivering full-lifecycle services including geotechnical engineering, civil engineering, land surveying, architectural design, structural design, micropile deep foundation construction, environmental engineering, construction inspections, materials testing, and construction management. Engagements span multiple sectors — AgTech/Controlled Environment Agriculture, light industrial manufacturing, spirits distilleries, hospitality, commercial/retail, healthcare, education, churches/non-profits, and municipal/government — delivered under both design-bid-build and design-build models across Kentucky and the Southeastern United States.

Product overview

Thoroughbred is a design, engineer, and construct firm offering a unified suite of integrated engineering and construction services. The company operates as a single-service platform providing geotechnical engineering, civil engineering, land surveying, architectural design, structural design, micropile construction, construction inspections, environmental engineering, and construction management services. These services are delivered across multiple sectors including commercial, spirits/distilleries, light industrial, controlled environment agriculture (CEA), hospitality, and churches/non-profits. The firm specializes in comprehensive project delivery from due diligence and site selection through design, permitting, construction, and inspection.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Commercial Development Services Comprehensive commercial building services covering retail, automotive, healthcare, mixed-use development, education, municipal, and restaurant sector projects across Kentucky. Sold to enterprise and municipal buyers via direct proposal and competitive bidding.
• Spirits / Distillery Services Architecture, engineering, and construction services for bourbon distilleries and vineyards, including site selection, surveying, geotechnical evaluation, civil engineering, structural engineering, and construction management. Delivered to clients such as Wild Turkey, Jim Beam, Town Branch Bourbon Distillery, and Blue Run Spirits.
• Light Industrial Services Industrial facility design and construction including manufacturing plants, warehouses, and distribution centers for clients such as Toyota, Webasto Group, and Rumpke Waste & Recycling. Includes micropile deep foundation installation for challenging geotechnical conditions.
• Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Design & Engineering Greenhouse and vertical farming facility design and construction services, including site selection, geotechnical engineering, structural engineering, and special inspection services for controlled environment agriculture operations. Includes ERI subsurface characterization and large-scale stormwater management.
• Hospitality Development Services Hotel and hospitality facility design and construction services including hotels, suites, and banquet facilities for brands such as Cambria, Hampton Inn, Home2Suites, and Tru by Hilton. Includes sinkhole stabilization where site conditions require it.
• Churches and Non-Profit Services Design, engineering, and construction services for churches and non-profit organizations including structural engineering, civil design, surveying, and special inspections. Sold to faith-based organizations, dioceses, and mission-focused clients such as Bluegrass Baptist Church and Habitat for Humanity.
• Geotechnical Engineering Geotechnical investigation and analysis services including drilling, geophysical exploration, Electrical Resistivity Imaging (ERI), and destructive and nondestructive exploration. Designed for sinkhole delineation, karst terrain characterization, rock depth assessment, and foundation design support across sectors.
• Civil Engineering Civil engineering design services for site development, bid documents, utilities, hydrology and water resources, stormwater management including large-scale detention systems, and hydraulic analysis. Includes environmental permitting coordination.
• Land Surveying Comprehensive land surveying services including ALTA surveys, boundary surveys, topographic surveys, subdivision plats, UAV drone aerial mapping, and easement plats for commercial, industrial, residential, and infrastructure projects.
• Architectural Design & Permitting Architectural design services including virtual tours, building code review, landscape architecture, streetscapes, entrance design, and local planning and zoning consulting. Integrates directly with civil, structural, and construction disciplines.
• Structural Design Structural engineering design using REVIT modeling for commercial, industrial, and residential structures including steel, concrete, and cold-formed steel systems. Supports new builds and renovation work across all sectors served.
• Micropile Construction Self-performed deep foundation construction using high-strength, small-diameter steel casing and threaded bars for stabilizing foundations, supporting bridges, repairing sinkhole damage, and anchoring guy wires for towers and wind turbines. Differentiated capability within Thoroughbred's service portfolio.
• Construction Inspections IBC Special Inspections, concrete maturity meter testing, and materials testing services to ensure compliance with project requirements during excavation, foundations, primary structure build, roofing, and completion phases across all sectors.
• Environmental Engineering Environmental engineering services including environmental audits, environmental permitting, and stormwater discharge permitting, supporting industrial, commercial, and infrastructure clients.
• Construction Management Services Construction management including project scheduling, design-bid-build and design-build delivery methods, owner's representative services, value engineering, and UAV drone-based construction progress documentation.
• In-House AASHTO/CCRL Accredited Materials Testing Laboratory Company-operated laboratory with AASHTO accreditation for soils testing and CCRL certification for concrete materials testing, providing quality assurance and control without reliance on third-party testing labs and improving turnaround times for geotechnical and materials testing engagements.

Quantifiable outcome

• 7.7 million SF of greenhouses completed across CEA/AgTech projects
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers28 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and regional.

• Kentucky Cabinet for Economic DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThoroughbred partners with the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development on the KY Build-Ready Sites program, providing geotechnical, surveying, civil engineering, and construction inspection services to certify development-ready sites across Kentucky. This partnership supports statewide economic development goals and positions Thoroughbred as a preferred provider for major industrial recruitment projects.
• Toyota Motor ManufacturingmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThoroughbred provides engineering and construction services for Toyota Motor Manufacturing operations in Kentucky, including facility design, geotechnical investigation, and construction inspection for manufacturing and industrial projects supporting the automotive supply chain.
• City of VersaillesregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partnership for engineering and development projects in Versailles, Kentucky. Part of broader network of municipal partners including City of Berea, Harlan County, Jackson County, London-Laurel County, City of Richmond, Mt Sterling/Montgomery County, Morehead/Rowan County, Maysville/Mason County, and Somerset-Pulaski County.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• WSP: Global professional services consultancy in engineering, environment, and design with substantial U.S. buildings, infrastructure, and earth/water practices. Overlaps on civil/structural engineering, geotechnical, and environmental permitting.
• HDR Inc. Employee-owned professional services firm offering architecture, engineering, environmental, and construction services across infrastructure, buildings, and industrial markets. Competes for similar architecture/engineering mandates including municipal and healthcare.
• Stantec: Global professional services firm in engineering, architecture, environmental, and project management with U.S. infrastructure, industrial, and commercial practices. Overlaps with Thoroughbred on civil/structural engineering, environmental, and site development work.
• Tetra Tech: Consulting and engineering services firm specializing in water, environment, infrastructure, and renewable energy. Compares on environmental engineering, water resources, and geotechnical site investigation work.
• AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm with architecture, engineering, construction management, and environmental services across transportation, water, buildings, and industrial end markets. Overlaps on full-lifecycle design and construction management.

Direct peers

• Burns & McDonnell: 100% employee-owned design-build engineering firm serving industrial, manufacturing, and infrastructure clients with integrated architecture, engineering, and construction services. Comparable integrated delivery model and industrial/manufacturing sector focus.
• SSOE Group: Project delivery firm offering architecture, engineering, and construction management for industrial, advanced technology, and manufacturing clients. Directly comparable as an integrated AEC firm with strong industrial client base.
• Gray Construction: Lexington, Kentucky-based design-build firm focused on food/beverage (including bourbon distilleries), manufacturing, and distribution facilities. Highly comparable mid-market integrated design-builder operating in the same Kentucky geography with overlapping spirits/distillery and industrial clients.

Regional players

• Palmer Engineering Company: Kentucky-based civil and structural engineering firm providing transportation, water resources, and structural design. Comparable regional mid-market engineering firm competing for similar Kentucky municipal and transportation work.
• Cornerstone Engineering Inc. Kentucky-headquartered civil engineering and land surveying firm serving municipal, commercial, and industrial clients. Comparable regional mid-size firm with overlapping surveying, civil engineering, and site development services in Kentucky.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC4r8Eo1pMNLuKFKmbKaPMFA
• Facebookfacebook.com/ThoroughbredFirm
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thoroughbredfirm

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Thoroughbred