Western Refinery Services

What Western Refinery Services does

Western Refinery Services (operating as WRS Construction) is a privately held, Ferndale, Washington-headquartered specialty contractor founded in 1982 by Jerry Libolt. The company delivers nine integrated service lines — Industrial Maintenance, Asphalt Paving & Maintenance, Civil Construction, Technology & Design, Land Leveling Scrapers, Demolition & Processing, Emergency Response, Hydro Excavation Utility Location, and Concrete — across the Pacific Northwest (Washington and Idaho). Its industrial maintenance business is anchored by multi-decade, site-embedded relationships with four refineries: BP Cherry Point, Phillips 66 (Ferndale), Holly Frontier Sinclair (Anacortes), and Marathon, where dedicated WRS site managers station crews for recurring hydro-blasting, tank cleaning, catalyst handling, reactor change-outs, waste handling, and turnaround support. The asphalt division executes approximately 600 jobs per year for commercial, government, and residential customers, while the civil construction division handles site development, mass grading, utility installation, and large earthworks for municipalities and private developers.

The business model is project-based and direct-to-customer, with revenue generated through competitive bidding on government/IDIQ contracts, estimator-led quotes for commercial and residential work, and ongoing master service agreements with industrial clients. Pricing is project-specific and quote-based rather than productized; free estimates are offered for asphalt. WRS self-performs all scopes — excavation, paving, foundations, demolition, transportation — eliminating subcontractor coordination overhead and enabling cross-deployment of crews and equipment. Underlying the operation is an integrated technology stack: Trimble 3D GPS-guided machine control for grading and utility installation, 3D clash-detection modeling during pre-construction, regular UAV site mapping for QA/QC, HCSS HeavyBid/HeavyJob/Spectrum for estimating and field execution, and NLB high-pressure water jetting (8,000-24,000 PSI) for industrial cleaning. A 0.63 EMR (Experience Modification Rate) reflects the safety performance that supports refinery qualification.

The company employs more than 260 people across two offices (Ferndale, WA and Nampa, ID) and remains 100% owner-operated by Ryan Likkel (CEO), with Billy VanZanten as COO and Cody Bormuth as CFO. Growth has been entirely organic and internally financed — no external investors, private equity, or venture capital are reported in the ownership structure — and has been driven by service-line diversification, sustained refinery contract renewals (e.g., three renewals of the City of Bellingham IDIQ), and the 2022 expansion into the Boise/Nampa, Idaho market. Customer segments are split between enterprise industrial (refineries), government (municipalities and counties), commercial (retail, hospitality, developers), and residential, with revenue concentration tilted toward the enterprise and government tiers.

Name

Western Refinery Services

Legal name

Western Refinery Services

Website

https://wrsweb.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Western Refinery Services is a Ferndale, Washington-headquartered specialty contractor founded in 1982 that delivers industrial maintenance, asphalt paving, civil construction, demolition, and emergency response services to refineries, government agencies, developers, and commercial clients across the Pacific Northwest (Washington and Idaho).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Construction and Industrial Maintenance Services

NAICS

Other Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors (238190)

SIC

Oil & Gas Field Services, Nec (1389)

akta.pro primary industry

Refinery & Petrochemical O&M / Maintenance Outsourcing (EUAEAGAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Tank, Vessel & Pipeline Inspection/Cleaning/Repair (API/ASME) (IMAIACAH), Water & Wastewater Pipeline Construction (Mains, Force Mains, Interceptors) (IMAFAGAC)

Keywords

• Asphalt paving services
• Civil construction services
• Industrial maintenance services
• Refinery specialty contracting
• Site development construction

Headquarters

HQ city

Ferndale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Construction Services: Project-based billing for specialty construction services including asphalt paving, civil construction, demolition, and industrial maintenance. Revenue generated through competitive bidding on projects and direct client engagements.
2. Industrial Maintenance Services: Ongoing maintenance contracts with refineries and industrial facilities including catalyst handling, tank cleaning, hydro-blasting, and waste handling services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Western Refinery Services (WRS) is a Pacific Northwest specialty contractor providing industrial maintenance, asphalt paving and maintenance, civil construction, demolition, concrete, hydro excavation, land leveling, and emergency response services. The company self-performs all aspects of projects for refinery operators, government agencies, commercial developers, and residential customers. It differentiates through GPS-guided heavy equipment, 3D modeling, UAV mapping, and NLB high-pressure water jetting systems deployed across Washington and Idaho.

Product overview

Western Refinery Services (WRS) operates as a specialty contractor offering a comprehensive portfolio of construction and maintenance services. The company provides nine distinct service offerings: Industrial Maintenance (refinery and heavy industrial maintenance including hydro-blasting and tank cleaning), Asphalt Paving & Maintenance (commercial and residential paving, seal-coating, striping), Civil Construction (site work, grading, utilities), Technology & Design (3D modeling, UAV mapping, GPS-guided equipment), Land Leveling Scrapers (large-scale earthmoving with GPS-guided scrapers), Demolition & Processing (selective demolition and material reclamation), Emergency Response (rapid mobilization for spills and disaster recovery), Hydro Excavation Utility Location (hydro excavation and utility potholing), and Concrete (foundations, paving, flatwork). The services are delivered through dedicated divisions staffed by specialized crews with expertise spanning the Pacific Northwest and Idaho regions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Industrial Maintenance Provides refinery and heavy industrial facility maintenance including waste handling, catalyst handling, reactor change-outs, hydro-blasting, tank cleaning, and hazardous/non-hazardous waste handling using NLB High-Pressure Water Jetting Systems. Targets refineries (BP Cherry Point, Phillips 66, Holly Frontier Sinclair, Marathon) and heavy industrial operators.
• Asphalt Paving & Maintenance Specializes in commercial and residential paving, grading, grinding, patching and repairs, crack-sealing, seal-coating, line-striping, wheel stops, ADA stenciling, and extruded curb installation for driveways, parking lots, and roads. Targets commercial property owners, municipalities, and homeowners.
• Civil Construction Provides site setup, land-leveling, land-clearing, erosion control, mass grading, fine grading, utility installation, and storm drainage services for projects from residential to commercial scale. Targets developers, municipalities, and industrial clients.
• Technology & Design Offers 3D modeling, Trimble 3D GPS guidance, value engineering review, UAV mapping and inspection, and GPS-guided heavy equipment integration for construction projects. Internal service supporting WRS's project delivery and offered to clients as part of project execution.
• Land Leveling Scrapers Provides large-scale land-leveling and site-clearing operations using GPS-guided tractor-pulled scrapers capable of moving up to 40 cubic yards per pass, with automated heavy equipment integration. Targets large development and infrastructure projects (e.g., Tay-Ex Eastview 138-acre land leveling).
• Demolition & Processing Offers full demolition, selective demolition, material reclamation, processing, and sorting services using excavators with demolition shears and grapples for structural steel and concrete. Targets industrial, commercial, and infrastructure clients.
• Emergency Response Provides rapid mobilization for emergency repairs, spill response, slide prevention and repair, handling landslides and natural disasters (e.g., 2021/2022 Sumas Railroad flood repair with 20,000 yards flood deposit removal). Targets industrial operators, railroads, and government agencies.
• Hydro Excavation Utility Location Operates hydro excavation and vac trucks for emergency spill response, site cleanup, excavation around critical infrastructure, and complex underground utility installations with robotic and GPS survey equipment. Targets refineries, municipalities, and contractors needing non-destructive excavation.
• Concrete Provides structural concrete foundations, concrete paving, and concrete flatwork services for civil construction projects. Targets developers, municipalities, and commercial/industrial clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• ~600 asphalt jobs completed annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments3 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

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Clean Harbors: National environmental and industrial services company providing refinery maintenance, waste handling, hydro-blasting, and turnaround support — directly overlapping WRS's industrial maintenance service line, but at vastly larger scale and broader geographic reach.
• Sterling Infrastructure: Diversified heavy civil and specialty contractor — overlaps WRS's civil construction, site development, and transportation infrastructure work, but at national scale across multiple end markets.
• Granite Construction: Large U.S. civil infrastructure and construction company — overlaps WRS's civil construction, asphalt paving, and site-development work, but at materially greater scale and with broader geographic and public-sector exposure.
• Quanta Services: Large infrastructure services provider for energy and utility customers — adjacent to WRS's industrial maintenance and utility installation work, particularly with refinery and pipeline-adjacent clients.

Direct peers

• Brand Industrial Services: Industrial maintenance and construction contractor serving refineries and heavy industrial facilities with scaffolding, insulation, painting, and mechanical services — comparable as a refinery-focused specialty contractor with similar industrial maintenance scope.
• Matrix Service Company: Specialty contractor focused on storage terminals, tank construction, and refinery/industrial maintenance — directly comparable to WRS's tank cleaning, hydro-blasting, and refinery-side work.
• Turner Industries: Large industrial services contractor serving refineries and petrochemical plants with maintenance, construction, and turnaround services — comparable in customer base (refineries/petrochem operators), self-perform model, and integrated service delivery.
• IEA Constructors (MasTec Industrial): Industrial contractor providing mechanical, electrical, and maintenance services to refineries and process plants — comparable in customer overlap (refinery operators), self-perform delivery, and turnarounds support.

Regional players

• Tapani Inc. Pacific Northwest site development, excavation, and utility contractor — comparable to WRS's civil construction, demolition, and site-work services within the same PNW geography.
• Lakeside Industries: Pacific Northwest asphalt paving and aggregate producer — directly comparable to WRS's asphalt paving and maintenance division within the same regional footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@wrs-westernrefineryservices
• Facebookfacebook.com/WesternRefineryServices
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/western-refinery-services
• Instagraminstagram.com/wrs_web

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 Western Refinery Services