Scott & Ritter

What Scott & Ritter does

Scott & Ritter, Inc. is a privately held heavy utility construction company headquartered in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Founded in 1982 as a spin-off of the utility division of Scotty's Contracting, it has been under full ownership of founder W. Larkin Ritter since 1988 and remains family-operated, with three of his sons in active management roles. The company performs underground utility installation (storm and sanitary sewer, water transmission and distribution, water and wastewater treatment plants, underground electric, gas lines, and highway utilities), site development, grade and drain, blasting and rock removal, mobile rock crushing, mechanical utility systems (pump stations, treatment plants), design-build and value engineering services, and rents heavy equipment with operators.

The firm's customer base is institutional and project-based, serving municipal and state government agencies, college and university campuses, hospital facilities, military bases, and private commercial/industrial developers. Projects are acquired primarily through competitive bidding (RFPs/RFQs), with supplementary recurring volume from task order contracts with government agencies for routine maintenance and emergency response. Operations span a 100-mile radius from Bowling Green, KY and a Middle Tennessee center covering Murfreesboro, Nashville, Gallatin, Smyrna, La Vergne, and Springfield. The company holds blasting/rock removal licensure in both Kentucky and Tennessee and maintains a Kentucky Worker's Compensation EMOD rating above industry average for eight consecutive years as of 2025.

Scott & Ritter generates revenue through one-time project fees on competitively bid construction contracts rather than recurring subscription or licensing revenue, supplemented by equipment rental income and design engineering fees. There are no disclosed funding rounds, M&A activity, parent company, or institutional investors. The business relies on direct relationships and reputation rather than digital demand generation, with the website functioning primarily as a directory, project portfolio, and RFP submission portal.

Name

Scott & Ritter

Legal name

Scott & Ritter, Inc.

Website

https://scottandritter.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Scott & Ritter is a privately held heavy utility construction firm headquartered in Bowling Green, Kentucky, performing underground utilities, site development, rock removal, mechanical systems, and design-build services for municipalities, universities, hospitals, military bases, and commercial developers across South Central Kentucky and Middle Tennessee.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Heavy Utility Construction Services

NAICS

Water and Sewer Line and Related Structures Construction (23711)

SIC

Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623)

akta.pro primary industry

Water & Wastewater Pipeline Construction (Mains, Force Mains, Interceptors) (IMAFAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Trenching & Utility Excavation (IMAFAKAD), Construction Management & Delivery (EPCM/CMAR/Design-Build Oversight) (EUANALAE)

Keywords

• Heavy utility construction
• Underground utilities
• Site development
• Rock removal blasting
• Design-build construction

Headquarters

HQ city

Bowling Green

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Construction Services: Scott & Ritter generates revenue through project-based construction contracts. They bid on public and private construction projects including utility installation, site development, grade and drain, mechanical utilities, rock removal/crushing, and heavy equipment services. Revenue is earned through one-time project fees rather than recurring contracts, though they maintain task order contracts with agencies for ongoing maintenance services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Scott & Ritter is a heavy utility construction company that installs and replaces underground utilities (water, sanitary and storm sewer, underground electric, gas lines, highway utilities), performs site development, grading and drainage, blasting and rock removal, mobile rock crushing, and mechanical utility work including pump stations and water/wastewater treatment plants. It also rents construction equipment with operators and provides design-build, value engineering, and project budgeting services to government, institutional, and private clients across South Central Kentucky and Middle Tennessee.

Product overview

Scott & Ritter is a heavy utility construction company offering a unified portfolio of integrated construction services. The core offerings include Utility Construction (water, storm water, sanitary sewer, underground electric, and dry utilities), Mechanical Utility services (pump stations, treatment plants), Site Development, Grade & Drain, Rock Removal, and Mobile Rock Crushing. The company also operates a Heavy Equipment Rental division that provides equipment with operators. Design Engineering services complement the construction offerings through design-build, value engineering, and project budgeting. All services are coordinated through their Bowling Green, KY headquarters and Middle Tennessee operations center.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Utility Construction Installation, replacement, and relocation of water transmission and distribution systems, stormwater infrastructure, sanitary sewer lines, underground electric, and dry utility facilities for government, institutional, and private clients.
• Grade and Drain Grading and drainage services for roads, highways, industrial sites, commercial building pads, residential streets, retention basins, and sinkhole repair/remediation, including mass rock excavation in karst regions.
• Rock Removal Rock removal services using blasting, hoe ramming, and mechanical removal methods for rock varieties common in Central Kentucky and Tennessee; licensed in both Kentucky and Tennessee.
• Mobile Rock Crushing Mobile rock crushing services that convert boulders, shot rock, or concrete into usable products on-site, with on-site screening for size segregation and concrete crushing for LEED construction.
• Mechanical Utility Mechanical utility services for pump stations, water and wastewater treatment plants, metering stations, and related systems, including new construction, evaluations, renovations, and additions.
• Heavy Equipment Rental Rental of construction equipment with operators provided to public clients; fleet includes excavators, mini excavators, bulldozers, track and rubber-tire loaders, skid steers, backhoes, graders, and articulated dump trucks.
• Site Development Complete site development for residential, commercial, and industrial developments including clearing/demolition, site grading, building pad preparation, roof drain systems, retention and storm drain construction, underground utilities, curb and gutter, asphalt, striping, signage, and landscaping.
• Design Engineering Services Engineering services including design-build, value engineering, design review, and project budgeting, delivered during pre-construction to identify efficiencies and align project goals using in-house expertise and partner firms.

Quantifiable outcome

• Kentucky Worker's Compensation EMOD rating surpasses industry average for 8 consecutive years (as of 2025)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ABC (Associated Builders and Contractors)minorOthersOrganizational membership association for the construction industry providing networking, training, and advocacy resources.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Cajun Industries: Cajun Industries is a heavy civil, mechanical, and pipeline contractor with extensive water/wastewater and site-development work for municipal clients. It overlaps significantly with Scott & Ritter's core services but operates at a much larger scale across multiple states.
• Garney Construction: Garney is a national water/wastewater pipeline and design-build contractor with a strong municipal focus. It competes for the same utility-construction RFPs Scott & Ritter bids and offers design-build delivery at scale, though it operates across many states rather than regionally.

Direct peers

• SAK Construction: SAK is a specialty contractor in sewer and water infrastructure rehabilitation, including trenchless installation and pipeline work for municipal clients. It is directly comparable to Scott & Ritter's utility-construction core and overlaps on sewer-system replacement projects.
• Mears Group: Mears Group is a private infrastructure contractor specializing in pipeline, utility, and underground construction for municipalities and energy clients. Comparable to Scott & Ritter on pipeline and utility installation work, though with a stronger energy-sector tilt.
• Team Fishel: Team Fishel is a private utility construction contractor performing underground utility installation, site development, and heavy civil work for public and private clients. Closely comparable to Scott & Ritter in service mix and customer type, though with broader geographic reach.
• Scotty's Contracting: Scotty's Contracting is the parent from which Scott & Ritter was spun off in 1982. Both operate heavy civil/site development work in the Bowling Green, KY region and historically shared projects and crews; their service mix (site development, utilities, grading) and customer base directly overlap.
• Petticoat-Schmitt Civil Contractors: Petticoat-Schmitt is a private Southeast-focused site development and utility construction contractor. Comparable to Scott & Ritter on residential/commercial site development, water/sewer installation, and grading for private developers and municipalities.
• Boh Brothers Construction: Boh Brothers is a regional heavy civil and utility contractor in the Southeast with deep water/sewer/site-development work for public clients. Comparable in service mix and customer base to Scott & Ritter, though operating at larger scale and broader geography.

Regional players

• Hailey Excavating & Construction: Hailey Excavating is a Kentucky-based underground utility and site work contractor serving municipal and private developers. Comparable in regional scope, customer base, and core utility-installation services to Scott & Ritter, though smaller in equipment fleet and service breadth.
• W.L. Harper Contracting: W.L. Harper is a Kentucky-based site development and heavy civil contractor serving residential, commercial, and municipal clients. Directly comparable to Scott & Ritter's site development and utility construction work in a shared Kentucky geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Scott & Ritter