Cramer & Associates

What Cramer & Associates does

Cramer & Associates, Inc. is a family and employee-owned heavy highway construction firm headquartered in Grimes, Iowa, specializing in bridge construction, rehabilitation, and maintenance. Incorporated in 1978 as an ESOP and merit shop (non-union), the company traces its origins to the Cramer family's bridge-building activity in Iowa dating to the 1950s, evolving through prior entities including Oliphant, Oliphant, and Cramer, Cramer-Bayse Construction, and Cramer Brothers, Inc. It serves state Departments of Transportation and municipal/county governments across Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, and South Dakota, with a portfolio spanning new bridge construction (steel girder, concrete beam, post-tensioned, arch, and specialty bridges), bridge rehabilitation (redecking, joint replacement, beam repair, concrete repair), and related heavy highway services including cofferdams, pile driving, shoring, flood walls, and pump stations.

The company's core technical differentiation is "The Iowa Method," a proprietary high-density, low-slump bridge deck overlay technique that grinds and jack-hammers deteriorated concrete and installs a 1.5"–2" new concrete layer using specialized mobile mixing and paving equipment with vibration, adding 25+ years of bridge deck life. Cramer states it has overlaid more bridges in the Midwest than any competitor. Its operations are capital-intensive, relying on heavy equipment such as a 100-Ton American Crane, a Terex-American 110 Crane, and specialized concrete production equipment. The firm also operates Cramer Land Development, a division pursuing residential and commercial projects including Southbridge in Adel, Iowa (380 acres) and Stonebridge in Altoona, Iowa (120 acres).

Cramer generates project-based revenue exceeding $100 million annually, primarily won through competitive bidding on public-sector lettings via state DOTs; self-performed work reached over $47 million in 2017, with total volume including subcontracted work averaging over $70 million. Its go-to-market is sales-led through formal bid submissions ([email protected]) and joint venture partnerships—with firms such as Hawkins Construction and United Contractors—that enable it to lead project management on mega-projects exceeding $100 million (e.g., a $93 million Downtown project and a $200+ million Iowa City project). Pricing is set through the competitive public bidding process and is not publicly disclosed. The company employs over 150 people and holds ESOP/founder-family ownership (three founding families ~20% each, ESOP 40%).

Name

Cramer & Associates

Legal name

Cramer & Associates, Inc.

Website

https://cramerbridges.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cramer & Associates is a family and employee-owned (ESOP) heavy highway contractor in Grimes, Iowa, building and rehabilitating bridges, culverts, and dams for state DOTs and municipal governments across Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, and South Dakota.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Heavy Highway Bridge Construction

NAICS

Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction (237310)

SIC

Heavy Construction Other Than Bldg Const - Contractors (1600)

akta.pro primary industry

Bridge & Viaduct Construction (IMAFAEAB)

Keywords

• Bridge construction services
• Heavy highway construction
• Bridge rehabilitation services
• Land development projects
• Flood control infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

Grimes

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Heavy Highway Construction: Project-based revenue from bridge construction, rehabilitation, and overlay projects for state DOTs and municipalities. Revenue exceeds $100 million annually with self-performed work reaching over $47 million in 2017 and total volume (including subcontracted work) averaging over $70 million.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Cramer & Associates, Inc. is a heavy highway construction contractor specializing in new bridge construction and replacement (steel girder, concrete beam, post-tensioned, arch, and specialty bridges), bridge rehabilitation and maintenance including the proprietary 'Iowa Method' high-density low-slump bridge deck overlay, and related heavy civil services such as cofferdams, pile driving, shoring, flood walls, and pump stations. The firm bids on public sector projects for state Departments of Transportation and municipalities across the Midwest, and operates a Cramer Land Development subsidiary that develops residential and commercial land.

Product overview

Cramer & Associates is a bridge and heavy highway construction company offering a unified set of construction and development services. The core offerings consist of New Bridge Construction and Replacement (steel girder, concrete beam, post-tensioned, and specialty bridges), Bridge Rehabilitation and Maintenance (including their proprietary overlay method called 'The Iowa Method' for bridge deck restoration), and Other Services such as cofferdams, pile driving, shoring, flood walls, and pump stations. The company also operates Cramer Land Development as a subsidiary focused on residential and commercial land development projects in Iowa.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cramer Land Development: A division of Cramer and Associates, Inc. developing residential and commercial projects including Southbridge in Adel, Iowa (380 acres) and Stonebridge in Altoona, Iowa (120 acres).

Products and services

• New Bridge Construction and Replacement Construction and replacement of bridges including steel girder, concrete beam, post-tensioned, and arch/specialty bridge types for state DOTs and municipal clients in the Midwest.
• Bridge Rehabilitation and Maintenance Bridge maintenance services including redecking, joint replacement, beam replacement/repair, concrete repair, and the company's proprietary 'Iowa Method' overlay that can add 25+ years to a bridge deck's life.
• Other Heavy Civil Services Additional heavy highway construction services including cofferdams, pile driving, shoring, flood walls, and pump stations for government clients.
• Cramer Land Development A division of Cramer & Associates focused on residential and commercial land development projects, including the Southbridge community in Adel, Iowa (380 acres) and Stonebridge in Altoona, Iowa (120 acres).

Quantifiable outcome

• 25+ years of additional bridge deck life through overlay projects
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core, significant and historical.

• Hawkins Construction (Omaha)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Joint venture partner for Council Bluffs Interstate Corridor projects. Teamed together with United Contractors for major DOT projects including $103 million, $40 million, and $104 million projects.
• United Contractors (Johnston)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Joint venture partner for Council Bluffs Interstate System and Iowa City projects. Together with Hawkins Construction, formed successful joint venture teams for large-scale interstate projects including a $200+ million Iowa City project.
• Koss ConstructionsignificantStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1989Partnership for bridge work on I-70 widening and overlay project in Topeka, Kansas and subsequent Wichita project. Cramer provided bridge expertise while Koss provided concrete paving capabilities.
• Jensen ConstructionhistoricalStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1970Joint venture partner for the Cedar Rapids '5-in-1' project consisting of double-decker, twin bridges and a dam on the Cedar River.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Jensen Construction Company: Iowa-based bridge and heavy civil contractor with shared 1970s-era origins, including the Cedar Rapids '5-in-1' joint venture with Cramer. Directly comparable in bridge construction scope, Midwest DOT customer base, and family/employee ownership profile.
• Hawkins Construction Company: Omaha-based heavy civil and bridge builder that has partnered with Cramer on Council Bluffs Interstate Corridor projects (including $103M, $40M, and $104M joint pursuits). Closely matched in Midwest DOT focus, JV-led mega-project strategy, and bridge/structural concrete capabilities.
• United Contractors: Johnston, Iowa heavy highway and bridge contractor with established joint venture history alongside Cramer on interstate corridor and Iowa City mega-projects exceeding $200M. Operates in the same DOT bid environment with overlapping geographic and capability footprint.
• Koss Construction Company: Topeka-based heavy highway contractor that partnered with Cramer on the I-70 bridge widening and overlay project in Kansas. Direct match on Midwest bridge overlay scope and DOT bid-driven revenue model, with complementary paving capabilities.
• Manatt's, Inc. Iowa-based bridge, structural, and heavy highway contractor serving state DOTs across the Midwest. Comparable in scope (bridge construction/rehabilitation), customer base (Iowa DOT and adjacent Midwest states), and private/family ownership profile.

Broad incumbents

• Herzog Contracting Corp. Larger Midwest-heavy rail, transit, and heavy civil contractor. While much broader than Cramer, overlaps on DOT bridge construction, mass concrete, and flood control projects across the same regional geography.
• Wanzek Construction: Wind-energy-focused heavy civil subsidiary of MasTec serving the Midwest and broader US. Comparable in heavy equipment fleet, DOT-adjacent site work, and project-based bid delivery model despite different primary end markets.
• Ames Construction, Inc. Midwest-headquartered heavy civil contractor with comparable bridge, highway, and dam construction capabilities. Operates at larger scale on transportation infrastructure projects while competing for similar DOT bridge scopes in overlapping geographies.

Regional players

• SEMA Construction, Inc. Western US heavy civil and bridge contractor focused on mountainous-state transportation infrastructure. Comparable in bridge construction and rehabilitation methodology, though operating in a different geographic footprint.

Emerging players

• A.M. Cohron & Son, Inc. Iowa-based bridge contractor addressing many of the same county and state DOT bridge replacement scopes as Cramer. Similar specialty focus on bridge work but at smaller scale and regional footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cramerandassociatesinc

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 Cramer & Associates