Vertical Earth

What Vertical Earth does

Vertical Earth is a privately held civil construction contractor headquartered in Cumming, Georgia, founded around 1997-1998. The company delivers turn-key site work, transportation, and structural construction services to both public sector clients (notably the Georgia Department of Transportation, county boards of commissioners and education, and municipalities such as the City of Cumming) and private developers across the Southeast United States. Service scope spans earthwork, grading, underground utilities, storm drainage, asphalt paving, retaining walls, bridges, and concrete elements, organized across three core service lines: Civil Sitework, Transportation Sitework, and Structures. Notable technical capability includes the deployment of GPS-guided grade control equipment for precision earthwork execution and accurate site elevations.

The company operates a regional hub-and-spoke model with headquarters in Cumming, a regional operations presence in Atlanta and Savannah (Georgia), and a Florida regional hub in Tampa. Its 450+ person workforce executes projects across Georgia and Florida, including GDOT corridor widenings, K-12 school site development, retail pad preparation (e.g., a 35-acre Kroger-anchored shopping center), multifamily residential communities, healthcare facilities, and large industrial/logistics complexes such as a 78-acre four-building speculative warehouse requiring 350,000 cubic yards of earthwork.

Vertical Earth generates revenue through project-based contracts priced via competitive bidding on public infrastructure and direct negotiation on private commercial and residential work. The go-to-market is sales-led and field-based, with estimators, project managers, and executives managing client relationships; repeat-client referrals and a documented project portfolio website drive bottom-of-funnel demand. Pricing is custom per project with no standardized tiers, and the company maintains no external private equity or venture capital backing, operating as a founder-led enterprise under Owner/CEO Brett Johnson and President Joe Anderson.

Name

Vertical Earth

Legal name

Vertical Earth, Inc.

Website

https://vertical-earth.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Construction Services

NAICS

Site Preparation Contractors (23891), Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction (237990), Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction (237)

SIC

Heavy Construction Other Than Bldg Const - Contractors (1600), Construction - Special Trade Contractors (1700)

akta.pro primary industry

Mass Excavation & Bulk Earthmoving (Cut/Fill, Grading) (IMAFAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Site Preparation & Civil Works (Clearing, Grading, Earthworks, Roads) (EUAMAFAA), Earth Retention & Excavation Support (Sheet/Soldier Piles, Diaphragm Walls, Bracing) (IMAFAOAD)

Keywords

• Civil sitework
• Transportation infrastructure
• Retaining wall construction
• Site development services
• Earthwork contracting

Headquarters

HQ city

Cumming

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Civil Construction Services: Project-based revenue from site work, earthwork, and civil construction services for government and private sector clients. Revenue recognized upon project completion or progress billing. Projects range from municipal road widenings (GDOT) to commercial site developments for retailers, developers, and residential builders.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Vertical Earth is a civil construction contractor that performs site development, earthwork, grading, and structural work for public infrastructure and private development projects. The firm delivers civil sitework, transportation sitework (highways, bridges, airports), and engineered retaining wall structures across the Southeastern United States. It operates from offices in Cumming (GA), Atlanta, Savannah, and Tampa, serving as a general contractor and subcontractor on heavy civil and site development projects.

Product overview

Vertical Earth is a civil construction contractor offering three interconnected service lines: Civil Sitework (site development, earthwork, underground utilities, concrete elements with GPS-guided grade control technology), Transportation Sitework (road/highway construction including widening, reconstruction, bridges, asphalt paving), and Structures (specializing in retaining walls). The company operates as a turn-key provider with a fleet of equipment and licensed specialized crews, serving both public and private clients across the Southeast United States.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Civil Sitework
• Transportation Sitework
• Structural Retaining Walls

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• David Nelson Construction: Regional civil and earthwork contractor with a similar mid-sized, owner-operator profile serving public and private developers in the Southeast.
• Suncoast Infrastructure: Florida-based site development and infrastructure contractor competing for similar commercial and residential sitework scopes that Vertical Earth targets in its Tampa expansion.
• C.W. Matthews Contracting Co. Georgia-headquartered heavy civil and transportation contractor performing roadway construction, grading, and site development across the Southeast — directly overlapping Vertical Earth's core service lines and customer base.
• Reeves Construction Company: Southeast-based sitework, asphalt paving, and highway construction contractor serving DOTs and private developers — a direct comparable for Vertical Earth's Civil and Transportation Sitework divisions.
• Anderson Columbia Co. Heavy civil contractor operating across the Southeast and Florida performing highway, site development, and earthmoving — closely comparable in geography and service mix to Vertical Earth.
• Hubbard Construction Company: Florida-headquartered heavy civil contractor (a subsidiary of Eurovia USA) executing roadway, airport, and site development projects — a direct comparable in Vertical Earth's Tampa expansion market.
• Prince Contracting: Southeast civil/sitework and transportation contractor performing highway, bridge, and site development for public and private clients — closely aligned service portfolio and geography.
• Mitchell Construction / Hi-Way Paving: Southeast-based paving, sitework, and heavy highway contractor serving DOTs and private developers — comparable in scope, customer type, and competitive bidding dynamics.

Broad incumbents

• Balfour Beatty (US Civil Infrastructure): National heavy civil contractor with deep Southeast operations executing highway, bridge, and site development at larger scale — comparable work but as part of a much broader national portfolio.
• Brasfield & Gorrie: Large Southeast general contractor whose sitework and civil divisions perform earthwork, utilities, and paving similar to Vertical Earth, though as part of a diversified building portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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 Vertical Earth