Empire Steel

What Empire Steel does

Empire Steel Erectors, L.P. is a steel erection contractor headquartered in Humble, Texas, founded in 1969 by Mr. Frank Gunnels, Sr. The firm provides four integrated service lines to general contractors: structural steel erection, concrete tilt-wall erection, ornamental and miscellaneous steel installation, and steel decking. It operates across the Gulf Coast, Southern, and Central Texas regions and is currently hiring field crews in the Austin and Houston areas. The company is a privately held Texas limited partnership that remains family-owned under the second generation of the Gunnels family.

Operationally, Empire Steel distinguishes itself through a fully company-owned equipment fleet. Each crew is supported by a company-owned truck equipped with redundant welding capabilities, and the company owns and operates multiple cranes of varying sizes. This ownership model is intended to insulate projects from rental-related scheduling delays. The firm maintains a single-project bonding capacity of up to $10.0 million, although the majority of its work is performed unbonded. The workforce (101-250 employees) is supported through in-house and third-party training programs targeting ironworkers, welders, crane operators, and foremen.

Revenue is generated through project-based contracts secured via competitive bidding from Texas-based general contractors, with pricing determined quote-by-quote based on scope and complexity. The firm completes in excess of 200 contracts per year, and reported annual revenue exceeds $20 million following a period of substantial recent growth. Customer-facing channels are limited to a company website (empiresteeltx.com) showcasing projects and employment opportunities, with no public pricing, no disclosed enterprise software product, and no third-party technology integrations or APIs.

Name

Empire Steel

Legal name

Empire Steel Erectors, L.P.

Website

https://empiresteeltx.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Empire Steel Erectors, L.P. is a family-owned steel erection contractor in Humble, Texas, providing structural steel erection, tilt-wall, ornamental steel, and decking services to Texas general contractors, completing 200+ contracts annually with revenue exceeding $20 million.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Steel Erection Services

NAICS

Structural Steel and Precast Concrete Contractors (238120)

SIC

Sheet Metal Work (3444)

akta.pro primary industry

Metals & Steel Mill Facility Construction (IMAFADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Steel Joists, Joist Girders & Decking (IMADACAC), Steel Plate, Sections & Welded Assemblies (IMADACAD)

Keywords

• Structural steel erection
• Concrete tilt-wall construction
• Ornamental steel installation
• Steel decking services
• Commercial steel construction

Headquarters

HQ city

Humble

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Steel Erection Services: Project-based revenue generated from structural steel erection, concrete tilt-wall erection, ornamental steel installation, miscellaneous steel installation, and decking services. Revenue is earned through contracts with general contractors, typically through competitive bidding processes.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Empire Steel is a Texas-based steel erection company providing structural steel erection, concrete tilt-wall erection, ornamental and miscellaneous steel installation, and decking services for commercial and industrial construction projects. The company supports each crew with company-owned trucks equipped with redundant welding capabilities and operates its own fleet of cranes of varying sizes. Services are delivered through project-based contracts secured via competitive bidding with general contractors in the Gulf Coast, Southern, and Central Texas regions.

Product overview

Empire Steel is a steel erection company offering a unified suite of construction services rather than a modular software product. The company provides four integrated service offerings: Structural Steel Erection (the primary service), Concrete Tilt-Wall Erection, Ornamental and Miscellaneous Steel Installation, and Decking. These services work together to deliver comprehensive steel construction solutions for commercial and industrial projects throughout the Gulf Coast, Southern, and Central Texas regions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Structural Steel Erection Core structural steel erection service for commercial and industrial construction projects, serving Texas-based general contractors.
• Concrete Tilt-Wall Erection Specialized erection service for concrete tilt-wall construction panels and walls in commercial and industrial projects.
• Ornamental and Miscellaneous Steel Installation Installation of decorative, architectural, and miscellaneous steel components for commercial construction projects.
• Decking Steel decking installation services for floor and roof systems in commercial and industrial construction projects.

Quantifiable outcome

• 200+ contracts completed annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• SME Steel Contractors: National structural steel erector headquartered in Utah with comparable scope across commercial, industrial, and infrastructure projects. Closest analog to Empire Steel by service mix (erection, decking, miscellaneous steel), differing mainly by national footprint and larger scale.
• Schuff Steel (QSI Steel): Large US structural steel fabrication and erection contractor, now operating as QSI Steel under Quanta Services. Direct competitor in commercial/industrial steel erection with significantly larger bonding capacity and national reach.
• Lexicon: Heavy industrial construction firm providing steel erection among other self-perform trades. Comparable because it bundles structural and miscellaneous steel installation into broader industrial construction contracts, similar to how Empire Steel serves Texas-based GCs.
• Ben Hur Construction: Mid-Atlantic steel erection and general contracting firm with comparable self-perform steel scope (structural, miscellaneous, ornamental). Direct competitor in the mid-market steel erector segment serving general contractors.
• SteelFab: Charlotte-based structural steel fabricator and erector serving commercial, industrial, and institutional markets across the Southeast. Comparable scope to Empire Steel, with a fabrication-led model rather than pure erection.
• Cives Steel Company: Multi-region structural steel fabricator with erection capabilities serving commercial, industrial, and infrastructure customers. Comparable to Empire Steel across the steel value chain (fabrication-adjacent, structural and miscellaneous metals).
• High Steel Structures: Pennsylvania-based structural steel fabricator and erector specializing in bridges, commercial buildings, and large-scale industrial structures. Comparable to Empire Steel in core structural steel erection scope, with a more fabrication-integrated model.

Broad incumbents

• Crossland Construction: Large regional general contractor with self-perform steel erection capabilities in the South-Central US. Comparable because it is both a GC customer-type for Empire Steel and a competitor for self-perform steel scopes, with a broader service portfolio.
• Manhattan Construction Group: Major US general contractor with self-perform structural and miscellaneous steel installation on commercial, sports, and infrastructure projects. Comparable as both a potential GC partner and competitor with significantly larger scale and bonding capacity.

Regional players

• Tellepsen: Houston-based family-owned general contractor with self-perform concrete and steel construction capabilities. Comparable as a Texas-rooted GC that both competes for and sources steel erection work in Empire Steel's core Houston/Gulf Coast market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Empire Steel