What PLI Systems does

PLI Systems is a privately held geotechnical construction company founded in 1989 and headquartered in Hillsboro, Oregon. It delivers specialty ground-improvement and foundation services — including soil stabilization, deep soil mixing, compaction grouting, deep foundations, earth retention, lightweight fills (cellular concrete and geo foam), seismic upgrades, and slope stabilization — for contractors, engineering firms, public agencies, and homeowners across the Pacific Northwest, with active operations in Oregon, Washington, and California.

The firm is built around a specialized, low-availability equipment fleet (drill rigs, pile drivers, limited-access spider excavators) and an in-house engineering capability that supports design-build and design-assist delivery. Its technology stack is rooted in proprietary field techniques and long-tenured institutional knowledge rather than software or automation, and it complements these capabilities through an ecosystem of partners including Aerix Industries (foaming agents), Jensen Drilling Co., Carlson Geotechnical, and GEOMechanics.

Commercially, PLI Systems operates as a project-based specialty subcontractor, bidding and executing defined scopes of work on infrastructure, commercial, industrial, and residential jobs. Revenue is generated through contract pricing on each engagement rather than recurring SaaS or volume-based models. The customer mix spans federal and municipal public works (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, City of Gresham, Willamette Falls Locks Authority), large civil and utility counterparties (Northbank Civil and Marine, Portland General Electric), and a long tail of residential and small-commercial clients — implying a moderate concentration profile anchored by episodic but high-value public-sector projects.

Name

PLI Systems

Legal name

PLI Systems Inc.

Website

https://plisystems.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

PLI Systems is a privately held geotechnical construction firm founded in 1989 in Hillsboro, Oregon, delivering soil stabilization, deep foundations, seismic upgrades, and lightweight fills to contractors, agencies, and homeowners across the Pacific Northwest.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Geotechnical Construction Services

NAICS

Utility System Construction (2371)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Earth Retention & Excavation Support (Sheet/Soldier Piles, Diaphragm Walls, Bracing) (IMAFAOAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Dewatering & Temporary Groundwater Control (IMAFAKAH), Dewatering & Groundwater Control (Wellpoints, Deep Wells, Cutoff Systems) (IMAFAOAF)

Keywords

• Geotechnical construction
• Soil stabilization
• Deep foundations
• Earth retention
• Seismic upgrades

Headquarters

HQ city

Hillsboro

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Geotechnical Construction Services: Project-based professional services revenue generated through design-build and design-assist construction projects, including soil stabilization, deep foundations, earth retention, and seismic upgrades. Revenue is earned through one-time project fees based on scope of work, materials, and labor.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

PLI Systems provides geotechnical construction services including soil stabilization, deep foundations, earth retention, lightweight fill solutions, drainage systems, and seismic upgrades. The company delivers these through Design-Build and Design-Assist project delivery models, serving contractors, engineering firms, government agencies, and homeowners across the Pacific Northwest.

Product overview

PLI Systems is a geotechnical construction company specializing in soil and foundation stabilization services since 1989. The company operates as a unified portfolio of specialized construction services rather than a software platform, offering 18 distinct service categories spanning drilling, pile driving, soil stabilization, earth retention, and specialized applications. Core services include Soil Stabilization, Drilling & Foundation Piles, Retaining Walls, Dock and Boat House Piles, Shotcrete, Cellular Concrete and Geo Foam, Geotechnical Drilling and Explorations, Limited Access Work, Grouting, Micro Piles, Underpinning, Seismic Upgrades, Shoring, Sheet Piles, Dry Coring & Restoration, Elevator Shaft Drilling, Drainage, and Helical Piles. The company delivers services through two primary models: Design-Build (full engineering and construction responsibility) and Design-Assist (collaborative support during design phases). PLI Systems operates across Oregon, Washington, California, and beyond, serving both residential homeowners and commercial/engineering clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Soil Stabilization

Quantifiable outcome

• Resilient solutions designed to last over 100 years based on homeowner project case studies
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 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

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Aerix IndustriescoreTechnology or IntegrationPLI Systems proudly uses Aerix Industries foaming agents and technical support for their geotechnical construction services, particularly for cellular concrete and lightweight fill solutions.
• Jensen Drilling Co.coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerJensen Drilling Co. designed anchor details and installed tiedown rock anchors for the Willamette Falls Locks seismic upgrade project, using seven-strand anchors with 15-foot tendon bond lengths in basalt bedrock.
• Carlson GeotechnicalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarlson Geotechnical performed borehole logging, laboratory tests, and optical televiewer surveys for the Willamette Falls Locks geotechnical investigation program.
• GEOMechanicsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGEOMechanics collaborated with PLI Systems on slope stabilization projects including the Gresham, OR project, providing geotechnical design for tied-back soldier pile walls and hollow bar tiebacks.
• Aerix IndustriescoreTechnology or IntegrationPLI Systems partners with Aerix Industries for foaming agents and technical support services, displayed as a partner logo on the PLI Systems website.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Schnabel Engineering / Schnabel Geostructural Design & Construction: Geotechnical design-build contractor specializing in earth retention, underpinning, ground improvement, and dam rehabilitation — directly comparable integrated design-build delivery model to PLI.
• Moretrench: Specialty geotechnical and environmental construction firm delivering dewatering, ground improvement, underpinning, and earth retention — directly comparable to PLI's dewatering, grouting, and shoring services.
• Hayward Baker (Keller Group): Largest North American geotechnical contractor offering ground improvement, earth retention, deep foundations, and seismic upgrades — direct competitor on nearly every service line PLI offers, but at national scale.
• GeoStabilization International: Specialty contractor focused on landslide repair, slope stabilization, and emergency geohazard mitigation — directly comparable to PLI's soil stabilization, retaining wall, and shoring work.
• Condon-Johnson & Associates: West Coast-based geotechnical contractor providing drilled shafts, micropiles, soil nailing, shotcrete, and ground improvement — overlapping service set with PLI and competing for similar Pacific-region projects.

Broad incumbents

• Kiewit Foundations (Kiewit Infrastructure): Large national heavy civil contractor with a dedicated foundations group offering deep foundations, ground improvement, and shoring at significantly greater scale — competes for major Pacific Northwest public works work.

Regional players

• Foundation Constructors: West Coast deep-foundation and shoring contractor competing with PLI on drilled shafts, driven piles, and earth retention across California and the Pacific Northwest.
• Northwest Cascade: Pacific Northwest heavy civil and geotechnical contractor serving similar Oregon/Washington markets with excavation, utilities, and foundation work — a close regional competitor on civil and infrastructure projects.
• Anderson Drilling: West Coast drilling and foundation contractor providing geotechnical drilling, caissons, and micropile services — overlapping with PLI's drilling and limited-access capabilities in the Pacific Northwest.

Others

• Aerix Industries: Supplier of cellular concrete foaming agents and lightweight fill technologies that PLI specifically names as a core technology partner — an ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/pli_systems

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 PLI Systems