What Stark Excavating does

Stark Excavating, Inc. is a vertically integrated civil construction contractor headquartered in Bloomington, Illinois, specializing in excavation, site development, concrete work, demolition, and underground utility installation. The company was founded by Lyle Stark in 1946 and incorporated in 1972 under the leadership of David K. Stark, with the third generation now involved in operations. Stark serves state, county, and municipal government clients (anchored by recurring work for the Illinois Department of Transportation) alongside commercial, healthcare, education, retail, and manufacturing developers across downstate Illinois, with offices in Bloomington, Champaign, and Mossville (Peoria).

The company's core technology is a fleet of more than 200 pieces of heavy civil construction equipment valued at over $30 million, including GPS-enabled bulldozers and motorgraders for precision grading, concrete pumping equipment, laser screed technology (Somero S-940 and CopperHead XD 3.0), and self-consolidating concrete capabilities for complex pours. Service offerings span earthwork, sanitary sewer, water main, chilled water piping, concrete paving and flatwork, bridge construction and rehabilitation, sheet piling and shoring, pile driving, box culverts, building foundations, asphalt milling, lime stabilization, demolition, and subdivision development.

Revenue is generated through three streams: civil construction project contracts (primarily competitively bid public works and negotiated private work ranging from $300,000 to multi-million dollar contracts), materials sales through wholly-owned subsidiary Stark Materials Company, Inc. (sand, gravel, and ReadyMix concrete from three batch plants and six aggregate deposits), and equipment rentals to external contractors. Pricing is bid-based and quote-based rather than tiered. Annual revenue exceeds $100 million with no external private equity or institutional investment disclosed.

Name

Stark Excavating

Legal name

Stark Excavating, Inc.

Website

https://starkcompanies.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Stark Excavating is a vertically integrated Illinois civil construction contractor delivering excavation, concrete, demolition, and underground utility services to government, commercial, healthcare, and institutional clients across downstate Illinois, supported by in-house materials production and a 200+ piece equipment fleet.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Construction Services

NAICS

Site Preparation Contractors (23891), Site Preparation Contractors (238910), Poured Concrete Foundation and Structure Contractors (23811), Water and Sewer Line and Related Structures Construction (237110), Crushed and Broken Granite Mining and Quarrying (212313)

SIC

Heavy Construction Other Than Bldg Const - Contractors (1600), Construction - Special Trade Contractors (1700), Mining & Quarrying Of Nonmetallic Minerals (No Fuels) (1400)

akta.pro primary industry

Mass Excavation & Bulk Earthmoving (Cut/Fill, Grading) (IMAFAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Trenching & Utility Excavation (IMAFAKAD), Foundation Remediation & Underpinning (Jack Piles, Resin Injection, Re-leveling) (IMAFAOAL), Excavators (IMAHAAAA)

Keywords

• Civil construction services
• Excavation and earthwork
• Concrete paving services
• Underground utility construction
• Aggregate materials supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Bloomington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Civil Construction Project Contracts: Core revenue stream from excavation, concrete, demolition, and underground utility services on a project-by-project basis. Revenue exceeds $100 million annually based on company history statement.
2. Materials Sales (Stark Materials Company): Sand and gravel quarry operations and ReadyMix concrete production through Stark Materials Company, Inc. Three ReadyMix batch plants and three sand and gravel quarries supply construction materials to external customers and sister company.
3. Equipment Rentals: Laser screed rentals (Somero CopperHead and S-940 models) and other fleet equipment available for external rental to other contractors

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Stark Excavating is a civil construction contractor delivering integrated site development, earthwork, excavation, concrete paving and flatwork, bridge construction and rehabilitation, demolition, building foundations, pile driving, sanitary sewer, water main, and underground utility services to government and commercial clients in downstate Illinois. Through its wholly owned subsidiary Stark Materials Company, Inc., the company also produces and sells ReadyMix concrete from three batch plants and sand and gravel from three quarries, and rents specialized equipment such as Somero laser screeds to other contractors.

Product overview

Stark Excavating is a civil construction contractor offering a comprehensive suite of construction services rather than a unified software product. The company operates two primary divisions: Stark Excavating, Inc. (construction services) and Stark Materials Company, Inc. (materials production). The construction services portfolio includes Earthwork, Excavation, Sanitary Sewer, Water Main & Service, Chilled Water Piping, Concrete Paving, Concrete Flatwork, Concrete Pumping, Sidewalks, Parking Lots, Reinforcing Steel, Bridge Construction, Sheet Piling/Shoring, Pile Driving, Box Culverts, Building Foundations, Asphalt Milling, Lime Stabilization, Demolition, and Subdivision Development. The materials division provides ReadyMix concrete from three batch plants and sand & gravel from three quarries. Additionally, the company offers Laser Screed Rentals (Somero CopperHead 2.0 and Somero S940) as an equipment rental offering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Earthwork Comprehensive earthwork services utilizing an experienced workforce and specialized equipment fleet for projects of any size. Targeted at government, commercial, and institutional clients requiring site grading and earthmoving.
• Excavation Excavation services for construction projects using GPS-enabled dozers and motorgraders for precision grading. Used by government and commercial clients across downstate Illinois.
• Concrete Paving Concrete paving services for roadways, highways, and large paved surfaces including IDOT-spec Portland cement concrete paving. Targeted at IDOT and municipal paving programs.
• Concrete Flatwork Concrete flatwork for slabs, floors, and other horizontal concrete surfaces, including precision leveling using Somero laser screed technology. Used by commercial, retail, healthcare, education, and industrial clients.
• Concrete Pumping Concrete pumping services for placement in hard-to-reach areas using concrete pump and telebelt equipment, enabling pours in tight or elevated locations.
• Bridge Construction Bridge construction and rehabilitation services for single- and multi-span structures, including pile driving, box culverts, and deck work. Targeted at IDOT and county highway departments; capability expanded through the 1991 acquisition of West Construction and Elbert Baugh Excavating.
• Building Foundations Building foundation construction services including footings, grade beams, and spread footings for commercial, healthcare, education, and industrial buildings.
• Demolition Demolition services including building demolition, site clearing, and selective demolition as part of integrated civil construction delivery.
• Sanitary Sewer Sanitary sewer installation and construction services for municipalities and developers. Underground utility capability expanded via the 2004 acquisition of Colclasure, Inc.
• Water Main & Service Water main installation and water service connection services for municipal and commercial clients.
• Subdivision Development Complete subdivision development including infrastructure installation for residential and commercial subdivisions, delivered as an integrated earthwork, utility, paving, and concrete package.
• Parking Lots Parking lot construction and reconstruction services for commercial, retail, healthcare, and institutional clients.
• Pile Driving Pile driving services including auger cast piles and H-piles for foundation support on bridges and building foundations.
• Sheet Piling/Shoring Sheet piling and shoring services for excavation support and earth retention on deep excavation projects.
• Box Culverts Box culvert installation services for drainage and water management on road and site projects.
• Asphalt Milling Asphalt milling services for road rehabilitation and surface preparation, overseen by third-generation family member Greg Stark.
• Lime Stabilization Lime stabilization services for soil improvement and subgrade preparation, overseen by third-generation family member Greg Stark.
• ReadyMix Concrete ReadyMix concrete production by Stark Materials Company, Inc. from three batch plants (Commercial Acres, Washington Street, and a mobile central mix plant). Materials are certified under Illinois Department of Transportation guidelines. Sold to external contractors, the Stark Excavating sister company, and government paving programs.
• Sand & Gravel Sand and gravel extraction, processing, and sale from three quarries in McLean and Champaign counties, with quality testing for IDOT certification. Sold to external construction customers and the Stark Excavating sister company.
• Laser Screed Rentals Rental of Somero CopperHead XD 3.0 (walk-behind) and Somero S-940 Diesel (ride-on) laser screeds to external contractors for precision concrete floor leveling, improving floor flatness, productivity, and placement quality.

Quantifiable outcome

• ENR Top 600 Specialty Contractors ranking of 243 overall in 2023
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Feutz Excavating: Illinois-based civil contractor offering excavation, utilities, and concrete services. Directly comparable as a regional peer performing earthwork, site preparation, and underground utility construction in central Illinois markets.
• Rudolph Libbe Group: Midwest site development and civil construction firm with earthmoving, concrete, and utility capabilities. Comparable in business model and vertically integrated service offering across Ohio and adjacent Midwest states.
• Bowen Engineering Corporation: Indiana-based heavy civil contractor performing excavation, concrete, utilities, and site development. Similar integrated service model and public-sector client mix to Stark.
• Millstone Weber: Midwest civil contractor specializing in earthwork, bridge construction, and concrete paving. Highly comparable in scope of services, customer base, and equipment-heavy operating model.
• Kelso-Burnett Co. Chicago-area electrical and infrastructure contractor with civil capabilities including site work and utilities. Comparable Midwest footprint and public-sector contract profile.

Broad incumbents

• Holcim US (Aggregate Industries): National building materials giant operating quarries and ReadyMix concrete plants. Comparable as a vertically integrated materials supplier and competitor to Stark Materials Company in Illinois aggregates markets.
• Lehigh Hanson: Major aggregate and ReadyMix producer operating across the Midwest. Competes with Stark Materials in Illinois aggregate supply and is part of Heidelberg Materials.
• Granite Construction: Large national heavy civil contractor and aggregate producer. Comparable business lines in earthwork, utilities, paving, and materials, though at substantially larger scale and broader geographic footprint than Stark.

Others

• Stericycle (specialty waste/cleanup): While not a direct construction peer, comparable as an Illinois-headquartered private-to-public industrial services company that scaled a regionally rooted operation into a national platform. Relevant for benchmarking Stark's potential expansion trajectory.

Emerging players

• Catamount Constructors: Mid-size regional civil contractor providing site development and heavy civil services in the Midwest. Comparable as a smaller-scale emerging peer with similar service mix but less vertical integration than Stark.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/people/Stark-Excavating-Inc/100057101454909
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stark-excavating-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Stark Excavating