What DeSilva Gates Construction does

DeSilva Gates Construction is a privately held, family-owned general engineering contractor founded in 1932 by Oliver de Silva in Dublin, California, now in its third generation of family leadership. The company delivers horizontal infrastructure projects — excavation, grading, asphalt paving, construction management, and environmental/soil management — for public agencies (Caltrans, SFO, the Port of Oakland) and private developers across the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento, and Northern California. It self-performs the majority of its earthwork and paving using a company-owned equipment fleet meeting Tier 4 emission standards and operates 50 or more active job sites on a typical day, placing more than 700,000 tons of asphalt annually across 80-plus projects.

A defining feature of the business is vertical integration. Through its affiliate DeSilva Gates Aggregates, the company operates aggregate quarries and LEED-certified asphalt hot plants in Sunol and Marysville; through Double D Transportation, it runs a modern fleet of Kenworth tractors and specialized trailers orchestrated by the proprietary Zipline mobile application; and through Pacific States Environmental Contractors (PSEC), it provides water treatment, soil remediation, and wetlands restoration services. The proprietary Tagus web application, in development since 1999, streamlines estimating through project completion. The broader family of companies also includes Gallagher & Burk (East Bay grading/paving/asphalt acquired in 1998) and ODS Tire (Hayward tire services).

DeSilva Gates monetizes primarily through project-based revenue won via competitive bidding on public works and negotiated agreements with private developers. Signature projects include the SFO Runway 28R-10L ($127M, joint ventured with Graniterock as Golden Gate Constructors), the SFO Runway 1-19 RSA Improvements ($95M, completed one month ahead of schedule), the Caltrans Route 50 Widening ($58.6M, joint ventured with MCM Construction), and the Communications Hill residential development (4.4M cubic yards of excavation). Customer segments span residential developers, commercial and industrial clients, public works/transportation, and aviation — with aviation representing the largest single concentration of contract value. The company is signatory to Operating Engineers Local 3 and the Laborers Unions, employs 501-1,000 people, maintains a minimal-debt philosophy supporting high bonding capacity, and operates without any disclosed private equity, venture capital, or institutional investor ownership.

Name

DeSilva Gates Construction

Legal name

DeSilva Gates Construction L.P.

Website

https://desilvagates.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1932

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

DeSilva Gates Construction is a family-owned general engineering contractor founded in 1932 in Dublin, California, delivering excavation, grading, paving, and construction management services for public agencies and private developers across Northern California.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Heavy Civil Construction Services

NAICS

Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction (237)

SIC

Heavy Construction Other Than Bldg Const - Contractors (1600)

akta.pro primary industry

Self-Performing General Contractors (IMAFAAAI)

Keywords

• Heavy civil construction
• Asphalt paving services
• Construction management
• Aggregate production
• Site excavation grading

Headquarters

HQ city

Dublin

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. General Engineering Construction Services: Project-based revenue from civil engineering construction, grading, paving, and construction management services for public and private clients. Revenue is generated through competitive bidding on contracts and negotiated agreements with developers and government agencies.
2. Asphalt and Aggregate Production: Vertical integration through DeSilva Gates Aggregates producing asphalt products, sand, gravel, crushed rock, road base, and specialty blends. Production from plants in Sunol and Marysville supports construction operations and external sales.
3. Trucking and Transportation Services: Construction trucking services through affiliate Double D Transportation providing hauling of rock, sand, gravel, dirt, asphalt and heavy construction equipment using modern fleet of trucks.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

DeSilva Gates Construction is a general engineering contractor performing heavy civil construction — grading, excavation, underground utilities, asphalt paving, and concrete recycling — for public agencies and private developers. The firm operates as a Construction Manager/General Contractor (CM/GC) on design-build and CM-at-risk projects. It is vertically integrated through affiliated entities operating asphalt plants, aggregate quarries, trucking, and recycling facilities.

Product overview

DeSilva Gates Construction is a general engineering contractor offering a comprehensive portfolio of construction services organized around civil engineering construction, grading, paving, and construction management. The company's core capabilities include excavation and grading, asphalt paving (delivering over 700,000 tons annually), environmental and soil management, equipment fleet operations, materials production through affiliated DeSilva Gates Aggregates, and construction trucking. The company also operates proprietary technology platforms including Zipline (mobile app for trucking coordination) and Tagus (web-based business process management). The broader family of companies includes Gallagher & Burk (asphalt production), Pacific States Environmental Contractors (environmental remediation), Double D Transportation (trucking), and ODS Tire (tire services), all of which complement and supplement DeSilva Gates Construction's internal capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Golden Gate Constructors: Joint venture between DeSilva Gates Construction and Graniterock Construction for large-scale airport and infrastructure projects
• Gallagher & Burk

Products and services

• Heavy Civil Construction Full-service heavy civil construction — including excavation, site grading, underground wet and dry utilities, and asphalt paving — delivered for public agencies, airports, and private developers on infrastructure and large land-development projects.
• Construction Management / General Contractor (CM/GC) Alternative project delivery service acting as Construction Manager and/or General Contractor on design-build and CM-at-risk engagements, often via joint venture, providing preconstruction, scheduling, and construction execution oversight.
• Asphalt Paving Hot-mix asphalt paving for highways, airport runways/taxiways, parking lots, and subdivision streets, supported by company-owned asphalt plants (operated through the affiliated Gallagher & Burk business).
• Excavation and Site Grading Mass and fine earthwork — site preparation, mass excavation, rough and finish grading — using GPS-enabled equipment, 3D machine control, and drone-based aerial mapping for residential subdivisions, airports, highways, and commercial sites.
• Environmental and Soil Management / Recycling Concrete and asphalt recycling, landfill operations, and soil/environmental remediation services delivered through affiliated entities including PSEC Environmental and the Stanford Recycling Center project.
• Construction Trucking and Hauling Dedicated trucking and hauling services for aggregates, asphalt, and construction materials, operated through the affiliated Double D Transportation entity to support internal and external project logistics.
• Aggregate Production and Supply Aggregate mining, processing, and supply through the affiliated DeSilva Gates Aggregates business, providing quarried and recycled aggregates for company projects and external customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Completed SFO Runway 1-19 RSA Improvements one month ahead of schedule with $226M project completed under budget at $223M
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Gallagher & BurkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1998Acquired by Oliver de Silva Inc. in 1998, Gallagher & Burk operates as a grading and paving contractor and asphalt producer serving the Oakland and East Bay area. Retains separate ownership but operates using a service agreement with DeSilva Gates Construction who provides management services. Has performed work for Port of Oakland, City of Oakland, Matson Terminals, Sea Land Terminals, Southern Pacific Railroad and Union Pacific Railroad since the 1940s.
• Pacific States Environmental Contractors (PSEC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides full spectrum of environmental products and services from water treatment to hazardous remediation, disaster response and wetlands restoration. Utilizes relationships with Environmental Agencies and organizational resources to find creative solutions for technically demanding projects. Services include water treatment, soil remediation and mitigation, landfill reconstruction, environmental infrastructure, disaster response, and wetlands restoration.
• Double D TransportationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConstruction trucking services company providing trucking resources orchestrated with Zipline proprietary mobile app technology. Based in Dublin, CA, Double D hauls rock, sand, gravel, dirt, asphalt and heavy construction equipment using modern fleet of trucks including Heavy Haul Low Beds, Double Bottom Dumps, Semi-Bottom Dumps, Semi-End Dumps, Transfers, Super-Dumps, Super 10s, Super Tags, 10-Wheelers, and Flatbeds.
• DeSilva Gates AggregatescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliate company with aggregate quarry and asphalt plant in Sunol and additional asphalt plant in Marysville. Has more than 50 years of experience in mining and producing construction materials including sand and gravel, crushed rock, road base, landscape and building materials, and various custom specialty blends. LEED-certified producer committed to protecting the environment with sustainable products.
• ODS TireminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTire dealer and repair shop located at 22991 Clawiter Road in Hayward, CA. Provides services to construction and trucking operations as well as outside customers.
• GraniterockcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture partner in Golden Gate Constructors for major airport projects including SFO Runway 28R-10L ($127M project). The joint venture combines DeSilva Gates' civil construction expertise with Graniterock's capabilities.
• MCM ConstructioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture partner for Route 50 Widening Project (Caltrans) valued at $58.6M. Combined capabilities for highway reconstruction project on 7 miles of Route 50 corridor.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Kiewit Corporation: Employee-owned one of North America's largest construction and engineering organizations, active in heavy civil, transportation, and aviation. Competes for the largest airport and highway mega-projects in California.
• Granite Construction Incorporated: Publicly traded national heavy civil and materials contractor headquartered in California with major presence in airports, highways, and rail. Competes with DeSilva Gates on large Northern California transportation and aviation projects at greater scale.
• Skanska USA Civil: Civil arm of Swedish-headquartered Skanska, active in U.S. heavy civil and infrastructure including airports and transit. Represents a global incumbent that competes on the largest West Coast transportation pursuits.
• Flatiron Construction: Heavy civil contractor specializing in transportation infrastructure (highways, bridges, airports) across the western U.S. and Canada. Comparable aviation and highway project portfolio, though at significantly larger scale than DeSilva Gates.
• Granite Construction (materials) / Vulcan Materials: National aggregate and asphalt producer comparable to DeSilva Gates Aggregates. As the largest U.S. aggregates producer, Vulcan competes with DeSilva Gates' merchant materials business and influences regional pricing dynamics for sand, gravel, and asphalt.
• Ames Construction: Private, family-owned heavy civil contractor with strong western U.S. presence in mining, highway, and airport work. Comparable private/family ownership model and project-mix overlap with DeSilva Gates.
• Tutor Perini Corporation: Large publicly traded civil and building contractor pursuing mega-infrastructure projects including airports and highways across the West. Represents the tier of larger incumbents DeSilva Gates often meets through joint ventures on the largest Northern California pursuits.

Direct peers

• Graniterock: Bay Area-based general engineering contractor and aggregate/asphalt producer founded in 1900. Graniterock is DeSilva Gates' most direct comparable — vertically integrated aggregates, asphalt, and heavy civil — and its joint venture partner in Golden Gate Constructors for major SFO runway projects.
• Teichert Construction: Sacramento-based family-owned general engineering contractor with integrated aggregate and asphalt operations serving Northern California. Comparable scale, regional focus, vertical integration, and public works exposure make Teichert a close functional peer.

Regional players

• Oak Valley Constructors / Local Bay Area Heavy Civil Firm: Smaller regional grading and paving contractors in Northern California that compete for mid-sized municipal and private site-prep work that DeSilva Gates also pursues. (Note: included only as a regional competitor category placeholder where named direct regional peers are limited.)

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/desilva-gates-construction

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries5 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 DeSilva Gates Construction