What McGuire and Hester does

McGuire and Hester is a 100% employee-owned heavy civil site work and landscape contractor founded in 1926 by two Irish immigrants in Oakland, California. The firm operates from four regional facilities—Oakland headquarters (9009 Railroad Avenue), a 22,868-square-foot corporate office at Harbor Bay Business Park in Alameda, and offices plus a fleet yard in Sacramento and West Sacramento—delivering integrated construction services to public agencies and private developers across Northern California.

The company's service portfolio spans eight self-performed disciplines: Preconstruction, Construction Management, Pipelines, Grading, Paving, Concrete, Mechanical, and Landscape, supplemented by an Emergency Services line for rapid infrastructure response. Project work ranges from site demolition, earthwork, and underground utilities (including trenchless techniques such as directional boring and pipe bursting) to structural concrete, mechanical pump station installation, and landscape construction including bio-swales and green roofs. Operations are supported by industry-standard construction software—Planswift, Agtek, Smartbid Net, and HCSS—for takeoffs, cost estimating, and continuous budgeting, with a dedicated Information Systems function but no proprietary AI/ML technology.

Revenue is generated through project-based construction contracts secured via competitive public-sector bidding and negotiated private developer agreements; named engagements include the $16MM Presidio Tunnel Tops landscape contract with Swinerton, the $6.9MM Newark Twin Force Main Relocation Phase 2 for Taylor Morrison Homes, Lake Merritt improvements and 12th Street Reconstruction as part of the City of Oakland's $198M Measure DD bond, and ongoing work for the Presidio Trust, Union Sanitary District, Alameda County, City and County of San Francisco, and County of Sacramento. Customer work is concentrated in the Bay Area and Sacramento/Central Valley, and the firm maintains long-standing municipal relationships as well as on-call emergency response contracts. The employee-ownership structure (ESOP) aligns incentives across the workforce, and the firm sustains labor supply through seven union apprenticeship pipelines.

Name

McGuire and Hester

Legal name

McGuire and Hester

Website

https://mcguireandhester.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1926

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

McGuire and Hester is a 100% employee-owned heavy civil site work and landscape contractor, founded in 1926 in Oakland, delivering integrated construction services across eight disciplines to public agencies and private developers in Northern California.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Heavy Civil Construction Services

NAICS

Site Preparation Contractors (23891), Poured Concrete Foundation and Structure Contractors (23811)

SIC

Heavy Construction Other Than Bldg Const - Contractors (1600), Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623)

akta.pro primary industry

Rock Excavation, Blasting & Quarry-Assist Works (IMAFAKAE)

Keywords

• Heavy civil construction
• Infrastructure construction services
• Pipeline and utility installation
• Site grading and paving
• Landscape construction services

Headquarters

HQ city

Alameda

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Construction Services Revenue: McGuire and Hester generates revenue through project-based construction contracts serving both public sector clients (municipalities, transit authorities, public utilities) and private sector clients (developers, property owners, general contractors). Projects range from site demolition, earthwork, underground utilities, site concrete, asphalt placement, and landscaping to full-scale civil infrastructure projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

McGuire and Hester is a heavy civil site work and landscape contractor that self-performs all major site trades—including pipelines, grading, paving, concrete, mechanical, and landscape—integrated with preconstruction planning and construction management services. The firm delivers site demolition, earthwork, underground utilities, paving, concrete, mechanical systems, and landscaping for public sector clients (municipalities, transit authorities, sanitary districts) and private developers throughout Northern California.

Product overview

McGuire and Hester is a heavy civil site work and landscape contractor offering a unified suite of construction services organized around eight core disciplines: Preconstruction, Construction Management, Pipelines, Grading, Paving, Concrete, Mechanical, and Landscape. All trades are integrated within one company to ensure seamless project delivery from design through completion. The company also provides Emergency Services as an add-on capability for rapid response to infrastructure failures or natural disasters. Services are delivered to both public and private sector clients across Northern California, with the company self-performing all disciplines to ensure continuity and in-house resource availability.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Preconstruction Project development phase services including validation studies, design meetings, design assist, constructability reviews, continuous budgeting, site logistics and planning, pull scheduling, and permit coordination for public and private sector clients.
• Construction Management Comprehensive turnkey construction management services spanning the entire execution process including contract management, procurement, site coordination, QA/QC, budget control, schedule analysis, and document control.
• Pipelines Utility infrastructure construction including sanitary sewers, storm systems, water pipelines, excavation, trenchless techniques (directional boring, pipe bursting, slip lining, tunnel boring), cast-in-place culverts, fuel lines, irrigation, and dewatering.
• Grading Earthwork services including mass excavation, commercial and residential development, roads, sports fields, port and airport facilities, and levees, utilizing CAD volumetric and survey models for efficient operations.
• Paving Surface construction including driveways, parking lots, bike paths, pavement rehabilitation, highway and street construction, airport runways and taxiways, striping, traffic signals, and street lighting.
• Concrete Structural and architectural concrete work including demolition, pump stations, foundations, culverts, canals, retaining walls, curbs, gutters, sidewalks, driveways, concrete paving, and decorative concrete.
• Mechanical Mechanical installation including booster pump stations, sanitary sewer lift stations, storm water lift stations, bypass meter stations, pressure reducing stations, and fuel systems.
• Landscape Landscape construction including parks, playgrounds, irrigation systems, soil preparation and planting, architectural concrete, unit pavers, bio-swales, wetland restoration, green roof systems, and maintenance.
• Emergency Services Crisis response services for infrastructure failures or natural disasters (rain, fire, earthquakes) including cleanups and repairs to minimize impact on communities, available through on-call contracts with regional offices in Bay Area and Sacramento.

Quantifiable outcome

• Award-winning safety record maintained while delivering projects efficiently
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 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

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Carpenters (CTCN)minorOthersMcGuire and Hester sponsors and hires apprentices in partnership with the Carpenters union through the Northern California Carpenters union.
• Cement MasonsminorOthersMcGuire and Hester sponsors and hires apprentices in partnership with the Cement Masons union through NorCal Cement Masons Apprenticeship.
• LaborersminorOthersMcGuire and Hester sponsors and hires apprentices in partnership with the Laborers union through NorCal Laborers.
• Operating Engineers (OE3)minorOthersMcGuire and Hester sponsors and hires apprentices in partnership with the Operating Engineers union through OE3 training programs.
• Pile DriversminorOthersMcGuire and Hester sponsors and hires apprentices in partnership with the Pile Drivers union through California Apprenticeship.
• TeamstersminorOthersMcGuire and Hester sponsors and hires apprentices in partnership with the Teamsters union through NCTAT.
• Underground Utility & Landscape Irrigation (UALocal355)minorOthersMcGuire and Hester sponsors and hires apprentices in partnership with the Underground Utility & Landscape Irrigation union through UALocal355.
• SwinertoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMcGuire and Hester was selected as part of the construction team for the Presidio Tunnel Tops landscape, storm drain, and paving scopes. McGuire and Hester assisted Swinerton Builders with budgeting Tunnel Tops since 2016, starting with early conceptual plans. General contractor on the Presidio Tunnel Tops project ($16MM contract value).
• Taylor Morrison HomescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOwner of the Newark Twin Force Main Relocation Phase 2 project valued at $6.9MM. McGuire and Hester served as General Contractor on this residential development infrastructure project.
• City of OaklandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple ongoing projects including Lake Merritt improvements, 12th Street Reconstruction (part of $198M Measure DD bond), and various public works. Long-standing municipal partnership.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Teichert Construction: Sacramento-based, family-owned heavy civil and site work contractor founded in 1887 with self-perform capabilities across grading, paving, underground utilities, and concrete. Highly comparable in scale, Northern/Central California geography, customer mix (public agencies and developers), and integrated trade delivery model.
• O.C. Jones & Sons: Berkeley-based heavy civil/site work contractor specializing in grading, paving, and underground utilities across the Bay Area. Closely comparable in regional focus, integrated service mix, and mid-sized project scope.
• Ghilotti Bros. Family-owned North Bay heavy civil contractor with grading, paving, underground, and site development capabilities. Highly comparable as a Northern California regional site work specialist of similar size, customer base, and self-perform trade mix.
• DeSilva Gates Construction: Pleasanton-based heavy civil contractor performing grading, paving, underground utilities, and concrete work across the Bay Area and Central Valley. Directly comparable in service mix, regional focus, and public-sector project pursuit.

Broad incumbents

• Granite Construction: One of the largest U.S. heavy civil infrastructure contractors (NYSE: GVA), California-headquartered with extensive overlap in transportation, water resources, and underground utility work. Much larger and public, but directly competing in core grading, paving, and pipeline scopes across the same Northern California geography.
• Swinerton: Large West Coast general contractor with significant Bay Area presence and broad delivery capabilities. Identified as a current partner on the Presidio Tunnel Tops ($16MM contract value) and overlapping scope on integrated site/civil delivery for larger public and private projects.
• Flatiron Construction: Heavy civil infrastructure builder (HOCHTIEF subsidiary) with a strong presence in California transportation, water, and underground projects. Competes on larger-scale grading, paving, and pipeline scopes and could displace McGuire and Hester on larger pursuits.
• Ames Construction: Heavy civil contractor serving transportation, water, and energy markets across the western U.S. Overlaps with McGuire and Hester on grading, underground utilities, and concrete scopes in California public works and could compete for larger regional projects.
• Webcor: Major Bay Area general contractor with substantial self-perform heavy civil and concrete capabilities. Overlaps with McGuire and Hester on integrated concrete, paving, and site work scopes for larger commercial and public projects in the Bay Area.

Regional players

• Sukut Construction: Heavy civil and grading specialist based in Southern California with deep capabilities in earthmoving, site preparation, and infrastructure work. Comparable in core trade mix but primarily serves SoCal rather than the Bay Area and Sacramento.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/mcguire-and-hester-232847690182075
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/1570706
• Instagraminstagram.com/mcguireandhester
• Xx.com/mcguire_hester

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles26 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 McGuire and Hester