What SETTERLIN does

Setterlin Building Company is a four-generation, family-owned commercial general contractor headquartered at 560 Harmon Avenue, Columbus, Ohio. Founded in 1935 by Robert W. Setterlin, Sr. as Robert W. Setterlin & Sons, the firm has operated continuously for over 90 years delivering construction services exclusively within central and southern Ohio. It maintains a workforce of 101-250 employees under a structured C-suite (CEO Steve Setterlin, President Mark Setterlin, CFO Katherine Zunic, COO Sean Morse), with Mark Setterlin representing the fourth generation of family leadership.

The company offers a unified three-stage service model: pre-construction (constructability reviews, cost estimating, value engineering, Critical Path Method scheduling, site development, permitting); construction (project administration, subcontractor qualification and selection, cost control, CPM scheduling, quality control, safety management); and post-construction (building turnover, staff training, warranty and maintenance, long-term planning). Core technical methodology is industry-standard general contracting practice; the company's differentiator is execution discipline rather than proprietary technology. It maintains a digital Plan Room (setterlinplans.com) for bid documentation.

Setterlin generates revenue through project-based commercial construction contracts secured via competitive public-sector bidding and direct client relationships. Its primary verticals are K-12 education, higher education, and civic/government (ODOT, Metro Parks, Columbus City Schools), with secondary exposure to healthcare, industrial, retail, religious, and alternative energy (CNG fueling stations). Pricing is quote-based per project, with multi-year contract cadence typical. Notable repeat institutional clients include Ohio State University, Ohio University (seven documented projects), and Columbus & Franklin County Metro Parks. The firm has accumulated more than 35 industry awards since 1972, including the 2024 national Baldwin Group Build America Award, and has been named a Columbus CEO Top Workplace for six consecutive years through 2024.

Name

SETTERLIN

Legal name

Setterlin Building Company

Website

https://setterlin.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1935

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Setterlin is a four-generation, family-owned commercial general contractor founded in 1935, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, delivering pre-construction, construction, and post-construction services to public-sector and institutional clients across central and southern Ohio, with primary concentration in K-12, higher education, and civic projects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbus

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Construction Project Revenue: Setterlin generates revenue through commercial construction projects, including new builds, renovations, and expansions. Revenue is project-based, with contracts secured through competitive bidding and direct client relationships. The company serves various market sectors including K-12, higher education, healthcare, civic, industrial, and commercial clients throughout central and southern Ohio.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Setterlin is a full-service, family-owned commercial construction company providing pre-construction, construction, and post-construction services. The company delivers new builds, renovations, and expansions across market sectors including K-12 education, higher education, civic/government, healthcare, industrial, religious, office, and retail in central and southern Ohio.

Product overview

Setterlin is a full-service commercial construction company offering a unified suite of services across the entire project lifecycle. The company provides three interconnected service pillars: Pre-Construction Services (early planning, cost estimating, scheduling), Construction Services (core project delivery with quality and safety focus), and Post-Construction Services (warranty, training, and relationship maintenance). This integrated approach allows clients to work with a single contractor from initial concept through completion and beyond.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pre-Construction Services Early involvement services for commercial construction clients including constructability reviews, cost estimating, value engineering, project scheduling using the Critical Path Method, site development, and permitting and approval assistance. Designed for Ohio-based clients in education, government, healthcare, and commercial sectors seeking to establish budgets and minimize project delays.
• Construction Services Full-service commercial construction delivery including project administration and supervision, subcontractor qualification and selection, cost control, critical path scheduling, quality control, and safety management. Targeted at educational institutions, government agencies, healthcare providers, industrial clients, and commercial enterprises throughout central and southern Ohio.
• Post-Construction Services Ongoing post-completion support for commercial building owners including building turnover and staff training, warranty and maintenance work, relationship maintenance, and long-term planning for future construction projects. Built to support clients beyond ribbon-cutting and foster repeat business relationships.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 140,000 park visitors to Blacklick Woods Metro Park Canopy Walk since opening
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Granger Construction: Lansing, Michigan-based commercial construction firm delivering K-12, higher education, healthcare, and civic projects across the Midwest — comparable size, vertical focus, and self-perform culture to Setterlin.
• Elford Construction: Columbus, Ohio-based commercial construction company serving healthcare, education, office, and senior living clients in central Ohio — competes with Setterlin for many of the same regional institutional projects.
• Boldt Company: Family-influenced, Wisconsin-headquartered commercial general contractor serving industrial, healthcare, education, and power clients across the Midwest — comparable on family heritage, vertical mix, and regional scope.
• Messer Construction Co. Cincinnati-headquartered, fourth-generation, family-influenced commercial construction company of comparable scale serving Ohio and the Midwest across healthcare, education, and civic sectors — directly comparable on geography, vertical mix, and operating model.
• Ruscilli Construction Co. Columbus, Ohio-headquartered commercial general contractor with offices in North Carolina and Florida, focused on commercial, education, healthcare, and senior living — overlapping geography and vertical mix with Setterlin.
• Smoot Construction Co. Columbus, Ohio-based, century-old construction firm delivering commercial, healthcare, K-12, higher education, and civic projects — comparable in age, geography, and service breadth to Setterlin.

Broad incumbents

• Gilbane Building Company: Large, privately held national commercial construction firm with deep Ohio presence and significant education, healthcare, and civic portfolios — competes with Setterlin on larger regional pursuits while also serving a much broader geographic footprint.
• Barton Malow Company: Southfield, Michigan-based ENR Top 100 contractor with strong Midwest footprint in commercial, healthcare, and higher education construction — frequently pursues the same regional institutional work as Setterlin.
• Turner Construction Company: Largest U.S. commercial general contractor with extensive Ohio operations across healthcare, higher education, and civic work — competes with Setterlin for premium institutional projects at the upper end of regional pursuites.

Regional players

• Corna Kokosing Construction Company: Ohio-based construction arm of the Kokosing group, with commercial building and industrial/warehouse capabilities across Ohio — comparable geographically and in serving institutional and industrial clients in the state.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/setterlin
• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/RW-Setterlin-Building-Company/143855919033137

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 SETTERLIN