Hard Hat Services
Hard Hat Services is a Naperville, Illinois-based environmental design-build and industrial engineering firm delivering engineering, project management, construction management, and field services to enterprise and government clients across power, steel, refining, food and beverage, telecom, IT, pharma, solid waste, and remediation sectors.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2000
- HeadquartersNaperville, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Hard Hat Services does
Hard Hat Services (legally Hard Hat Environmental Services) is a private, Naperville, Illinois-based environmental design-build and industrial engineering firm founded in 2000. The firm delivers engineering, project management, construction management, and field/site services to industrial and commercial clients across multiple verticals including power generation, steel, refining/petrochemical, food and beverage, telecommunications, IT, pharmaceuticals, solid waste, and remediation. Project delivery is offered under multiple contract structures - Engineer-Procure-Construct (EPC), Design-Build, Construction Management At Risk, and Time and Materials - with named engagements spanning small to medium projects (typically up to $1MM in fees for engineering and project management, up to $10MM for construction management) as well as larger multi-year programs (e.g., the ~$60M St. Louis River sediment removal project and the 13-year, $21M Waukegan Harbor Superfund remediation).
The firm's technical base combines civil, environmental, and industrial engineering disciplines, supported by industry-standard cost and project controls tools (Aspentech, RS Means Costworks, Richardson Cost Index) and supplemented by a proprietary GRP™ (Growth & Reward Plan) employee development and profit-sharing system. Named enterprise and government clients include US Steel, ArcelorMittal Steel, Alliant Energy, Waste Management Inc., Pepsi, Coca-Cola, CITGO Refinery, the US Army, US Air Force, and the US Army Corps of Engineers, indicating an enterprise and federal buyer profile across both ongoing operations (closed landfill management, CCR compliance, water/wastewater systems) and one-time remediation capex.
The firm operates an enterprise field-sales go-to-market: Business Unit Managers develop new accounts and maintain existing relationships, supported by a small direct sales and BD function. Commercial structure is project-based with quote-driven pricing; revenue is generated through professional services fees (hourly, project-based, markups on subcontractor costs, fixed-price, or T&M). After a 2008 acquisition of Ely Energy and rebrand as Aether DBS, the consulting team was spun back into the Hard Hat Services brand in 2012, and the firm has since operated independently with management continuity from its 2001-era principals, including President Mark Loerop. The firm operates nationally from its Naperville headquarters and is currently hiring across Construction Manager, Project Engineer, Project Manager, and Business Unit Manager roles.
Hard Hat Services firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hard Hat Services
- Legal name
- Hard Hat Environmental Services
- Website
- https://hardhatinc.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2000
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Hard Hat Services is a Naperville, Illinois-based environmental design-build and industrial engineering firm delivering engineering, project management, construction management, and field services to enterprise and government clients across power, steel, refining, food and beverage, telecom, IT, pharma, solid waste, and remediation sectors.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Hard Hat Services industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Engineering and Construction Management Services
- NAICS
- Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction (237), Site Preparation Contractors (23891), Utility System Construction (2371)
- SIC
- Heavy Construction Other Than Bldg Const - Contractors (1600), Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Mine Infrastructure & Utilities EPC (Power, Water, Comms, Camps, Roads, Airstrips) (IMAKAOAB)
Keywords
Where Hard Hat Services is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Naperville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Hard Hat Services business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Engineering and Design Services: Professional engineering services including civil, environmental, and industrial engineering and design. Revenue generated through consulting fees, hourly rates, and project-based billing for design services across multiple industries including power, steel, oil & gas, food & beverage, solid waste, and real estate.
- Project Management Services: Project management services offered as standalone or integrated with engineering and construction services. Web-based PM services allow clients to access project information including schedules, communications, deliverables, costs, and meeting documentation. Revenue generated through project management fees.
- Construction Management Services: Construction management services including Critical Path Methods (CPM) scheduling, cost estimating, and competitive bidding. Services provided as Agent CM or At-Risk CM. Revenue based on construction management fees and markups on subcontractor costs.
- Field and Site Services: Site development and field services including surveying, clearing, grading, excavation, wetlands mitigation, stormwater management, utility installation, concrete foundations, and pre-engineered buildings. Revenue generated through time and materials or fixed-price contracts.
- Environmental Remediation Services: Environmental remediation services including Phase I/II assessments, site remediation, dredging, sediment restoration, and CERCLA site management. Services include feasibility studies, remedial design, and construction quality assurance. Revenue from remediation project fees and turnkey contracts.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Construction Manager positions overseeing projects up to $10MM |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Project Manager positions for projects up to $1MM fee |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Project Engineer positions for projects up to $1MM fee |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels1 record
Hard Hat Services product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Hard Hat Services is an environmental design-build firm that delivers civil, environmental, and industrial engineering, project management, construction management, and field/site services for industrial and commercial clients. The firm executes work through multiple delivery methods including Engineer-Procure-Construct (EPC), Design-Build, Construction Management At Risk, and Time and Materials contracts across power, steel, refining, food & beverage, telecommunications, solid waste, and remediation sectors.
Product overview
Hard Hat Services is a professional services firm providing engineering, project management, construction management, and field services. The company does not offer a product in the traditional sense, but rather delivers services across multiple sectors including engineering and design, construction management, project management, field/site services, remediation, and IT/telecommunications. Services include civil and environmental engineering, construction management, coal combustion residual (CCR) work, water/wastewater treatment, solid waste/landfill services, remediation, and IT/telecom network deployment. The company also offers a proprietary Growth & Reward Plan (GRP™) for employee development. Work is delivered through various project delivery methods including Engineer-Procure-Construct, Design-Build, Construction Management At Risk, and Time and Materials Cost Plus.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Engineering and Design Services Professional engineering services including civil, environmental, and industrial engineering and design delivered to industrial and commercial clients. Revenue is generated through consulting fees, hourly rates, and project-based billing across industries including power, steel, oil & gas, food & beverage, solid waste, and real estate.
- Project Management Services Web-based project management services offered as standalone or integrated with engineering and construction services. Clients access project information including schedules, communications, deliverables, costs, and meeting documentation. Revenue generated through project management fees.
- Construction Management Services Construction management services including Critical Path Methods (CPM) scheduling, cost estimating, and competitive bidding. Services provided as Agent CM or At-Risk CM. Revenue based on construction management fees and markups on subcontractor costs.
- Field and Site Services Site development and field services including surveying, clearing, grading, excavation, wetlands mitigation, stormwater management, utility installation, concrete foundations, and pre-engineered buildings. Revenue generated through time and materials or fixed-price contracts.
- Environmental Remediation Services Environmental remediation services including Phase I/II assessments, site remediation, dredging, sediment restoration, and CERCLA site management. Services include feasibility studies, remedial design, and construction quality assurance. Revenue from remediation project fees and turnkey contracts.
Quantifiable outcome
- Completed $60 million St. Louis River sediment removal project with approximately 90 acres of aquatic area
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Hard Hat Services
Customer profileNamed customers19 records
Segments10 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
Hard Hat Services technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Hard Hat Services partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- ISNET WorldminorHard Hat Services is ISNET World Approved, allowing them to work as a contractor/vendor for clients that require ISNET World certification for contractor safety and procurement compliance.
- AvettaminorHard Hat Services is Avetta Approved, enabling them to work with clients that use Avetta for contractor management, safety auditing, and compliance verification.
- Three Rivers Manufacturing AssociationminorHard Hat Services is an Approved member of the Three Rivers Manufacturing Association, supporting their work with manufacturing clients in the Midwest region.
- Environmental Site AssessorscoreHard Hat Services partners with Environmental Site Assessors (ESA) to provide environmental services to land development companies, real estate brokerages, and commercial/industrial end-users. ESA provides licensed Professional Engineers and Phase I/II environmental assessments, with staff holding Master's degrees in Environmental Engineering.
- Various Heavy Mechanical and Civil ContractorsminorHard Hat has partnerships with some of the industry's leading heavy mechanical and civil contractors to support design/build engineering and construction services.
- American Marine ConstructorsminorHard Hat worked with American Marine Constructors on the Lordship Gun Club project in Connecticut for lead shot removal from sediment, demonstrating collaborative approach to environmental remediation projects.
- Nalco Industrial OutsourcingminorHard Hat and Nalco Industrial Outsourcing work as a team on US Steel Fairfield Works water systems evaluation project in Alabama, evaluating existing condition, performance and capacity of process and cooling water systems.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Hard Hat Services competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Burns & McDonnell: Large employee-owned EPC and engineering firm with deep practices in environmental services, power, industrial, and remediation — directly comparable to Hard Hat's multi-vertical design-build and CM At-Risk model, but at vastly greater scale.
- Jacobs Engineering: Global professional services firm spanning critical infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, and environmental remediation. Overlaps with Hard Hat's industrial, refining, and environmental services verticals, though at much larger scale.
- Black & Veatch: Engineering, procurement, construction, and consulting firm with strong water, power, and environmental practices — directly comparable to Hard Hat's water/wastewater and power-generation remediation work.
- Stantec: Global engineering, architecture, and environmental services firm with comparable remediation, water, and industrial practices. Comparable mix of consulting plus construction management across regulated end markets.
- WSP: Global professional services consultancy in environmental, water, power, and transportation. Overlaps with Hard Hat's environmental and industrial engineering practices, though at enterprise scale.
Direct peers
- Tetra Tech: Leading environmental and water-resources consulting and engineering firm; highly comparable to Hard Hat's environmental remediation, CCR, water/wastewater, and Superfund work, with overlapping federal agency relationships.
- TRC Companies: Environmental, engineering, and construction management firm focused on remediation, energy, and infrastructure — closely aligned with Hard Hat's CERCLA, CCR, and industrial-remediation niches.
- GHD: Engineering and environmental consultancy serving water, energy, industrial, and government clients — similar model to Hard Hat's multi-disciplinary design-build offering across industrial verticals.
- Montrose Environmental: Environmental services company focused on remediation, water, and air-quality consulting — closely comparable niche focus on environmental site work relevant to Hard Hat's CERCLA and Superfund engagements.
Emerging players
- Clean Harbors: Environmental and industrial services provider with strong remediation and waste-management capabilities. Comparable in industrial environmental services, though Clean Harbors is field-services-heavy rather than design/CM-led.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Hard Hat Services social profiles
Digital presenceHard Hat Services financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hard Hat Services leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Hard Hat Services funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hard Hat Services M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Hard Hat Services
What does Hard Hat Services do?
Hard Hat Services is an environmental design-build firm that delivers civil, environmental, and industrial engineering, project management, construction management, and field/site services for industrial and commercial clients. The firm executes work through multiple delivery methods including Engineer-Procure-Construct (EPC), Design-Build, Construction Management At Risk, and Time and Materials contracts across power, steel, refining, food & beverage, telecommunications, solid waste, and remediation sectors.
Is Hard Hat Services a public or private company?
Hard Hat Services is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Hard Hat Services founded?
Hard Hat Services was founded in 2000. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Hard Hat Services based?
Hard Hat Services is headquartered in Naperville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Hard Hat Services make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Engineering and Design Services are the primary driver. The others are project Management Services, construction Management Services, field and Site Services and environmental Remediation Services.
Who are Hard Hat Services's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Burns & McDonnell, Jacobs Engineering, Black & Veatch, Stantec and WSP. Direct peers are Tetra Tech, TRC Companies, GHD and Montrose Environmental. Clean Harbors is listed as an emerging player.
Does Hard Hat Services have an API?
No public API is recorded for Hard Hat Services.
What industry is Hard Hat Services in?
Hard Hat Services's product category is Engineering and Construction Management Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAKAOAB, Mine Infrastructure & Utilities EPC (Power, Water, Comms, Camps, Roads, Airstrips). Its NAICS code is 237 and its SIC code is 1600.