What Frontier-Kemper Constructors, Inc. does

Frontier-Kemper Constructors, Inc. is a heavy civil construction and underground mine development company founded in 1971 and headquartered in Sylmar, California. Operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tutor Perini Corporation (NASDAQ: TPC, approximately $5 billion in annual revenue), the company specializes in engineering and construction of deep shafts and tunnels of all sizes and complexity for government infrastructure owners and mining operators across North America.

The company operates through two principal divisions. The Heavy Civil Construction division delivers tunneling services using TBM, drill-and-blast, microtunneling, SEM/NATM, and cut-and-cover methods, with active projects including LA Metro Purple Line Extension Section 3, NYC MTA East Side Access Queens Tunnels, LADWP River Supply Conduit Upper Reach Unit 7, and NYC DEP Water Tunnel No. 3. The Mine Development division provides shaft sinking, raise boring, blind drilling, and slope construction to operators across coal, copper, gold, silver, salt, trona, and aggregates commodities. The FKC-Lake Shore subsidiary designs, builds, and installs proprietary hoisting and vertical conveyance systems, including the Sentinel Safety Catch system (co-developed with Horne Conveyance Safety), FLEXOWELL vertical conveyors (which set a world-record 400m lift at Fresnillo Mine in Mexico), mine cages, skips, custom sheaves, and electrical controls, supported by field service and structured 30/60/90/180-day preventive maintenance.

Revenue is generated through lump-sum and cost-plus construction contracts won via competitive bidding, design-build mine development contracts, and design-build equipment sales with recurring aftermarket service. Customers include public agencies (NYC MTA, LADWP, BC Hydro, LA Metro, SFMTA, NYC DEP) and mining enterprises (Warrior Met, Barrick, Nevada Copper, Fresnillo, Century Mining, Solvay, Luck Stone, Hutchinson Salt). The firm typically operates via joint ventures (with Granite/Traylor, Aecon SNC Lavalin, Michels, Redpath, and parent Tutor Perini) and maintains operational offices in California, New York, Indiana, Utah, Pennsylvania, and British Columbia, with multiple active project site offices.

Name

Frontier-Kemper Constructors, Inc.

Legal name

Frontier-Kemper Constructors, Inc.

Website

https://frontierkemper.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Frontier-Kemper Constructors is a US heavy civil and underground mine development contractor and subsidiary of Tutor Perini, specializing in deep shaft sinking, tunnel excavation, and proprietary hoisting and conveyance systems for government agencies and mining operators across North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Heavy Civil Tunneling and Underground Mine Construction Services

NAICS

Agriculture, Construction, and Mining Machinery Manufacturing (3331), Mining and Oil and Gas Field Machinery Manufacturing (33313), Overhead Traveling Crane, Hoist, and Monorail System Manufacturing (333923), Construction, Transportation, Mining, and Forestry Machinery and Equipment Rental and Leasing (53241)

SIC

Construction, Mining & Materials Handling Machinery & Equip (3530), Mining Machinery & Equip (No Oil & Gas Field Mach & Equip) (3532), Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623)

akta.pro primary industry

Mine Construction & Development Contracting (Shaft Sinking, Tunneling, Pre-Strip, Civil Works) (IMAKAKAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Shaft Sinking, Raise Boring & Underground Development Works (IMAKAOAC), Tunnels & Underground Rail Civil Construction (IMAFAFAE), Bulk Material Handling Systems (Belt Conveyors, Feeders, Stackers, Reclaimers) (IMAHABAH), Drilling & Rock Excavation Equipment (Rotary/Top-Hammer, Jumbos, Raiseborers) (IMAKANAC)

Keywords

• Heavy civil construction
• Underground mine development
• Tunnel construction services
• Mine hoisting systems
• Shaft sinking services

Headquarters

HQ city

Sylmar

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Heavy Civil Construction Services: Large diameter tunneling and underground infrastructure construction services for transit, hydroelectric, sewerage, and water supply projects. Revenue generated through lump-sum or cost-plus construction contracts on major infrastructure projects.
2. Mine Development Services: Design-build greenfield and rehabilitation construction services for underground mine operators including shaft sinking, raise boring, slope construction, and drill-and-blast tunneling.
3. FKC-Lake Shore Products: Design, build, and install hoisting and vertical conveyance systems including friction hoists, skips, cages, sheaves, electrical controls. Aftermarket parts and field services including preventive maintenance and emergency repair.
4. Used Equipment Sales: Sale of surplus tunneling and mining construction equipment including TBMs, jumbos, LHDs, locomotives, concrete pumps, shotcrete sprayers, haul trucks, and various attachments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Frontier-Kemper Constructors provides heavy civil tunnel construction and underground mine development services, including TBM tunneling, drill-and-blast tunneling, microtunneling, SEM/NATM tunneling, cut-and-cover tunneling, tunnel rehabilitation, blind drilling, raise boring, conventional shaft sinking, and slope construction. Through its FKC-Lake Shore division, the company designs, builds, and installs hoisting and vertical conveyance systems (friction hoists, cages, skips, brakeman cars, sheaves, electrical controls, vertical conveyors, and the Sentinel safety catch system) and provides field services, preventive maintenance, and aftermarket parts.

Product overview

Frontier-Kemper Constructors operates as a heavy civil construction and underground mine development company organized into two divisions. The Heavy Civil Construction division provides tunneling services using TBM, drill-and-blast, microtunneling, SEM/NATM, and cut-and-cover methods, along with tunnel rehabilitation. The Mine Development division offers shaft sinking, raise boring, blind drilling, and slope construction services. The FKC-Lake Shore subsidiary provides turn-key hoisting and vertical conveyance equipment including service, production, escape, and slope hoisting systems; vertical FLEXOWELL conveyor belts; cages; skips; brakeman cars; sheaves; electrical controls; and the Sentinel safety catch system. FKC-Lake Shore also offers field services, preventive maintenance programs, and aftermarket parts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FKC-Lake Shore: Design/build/install services for innovative Hoisting and Vertical Conveyance Systems for underground mining operations

Products and services

• TBM Tunneling Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) tunneling services for excavating large-diameter tunnels in various ground conditions, serving transit, water, and hydroelectric infrastructure owners.
• Drill-and-Blast Tunneling Conventional drill-and-blast excavation methods for tunnel construction in rock and mixed-face conditions, serving infrastructure and mine development clients.
• Microtunneling Microtunnel boring machine (MTBM) services for smaller diameter pipe installation using slurry or earth pressure balance methods, primarily for utility and sewer infrastructure.
• SEM Tunneling Sequential Excavation Method (SEM/NATM) tunneling for station caverns and complex underground structures, used on transit station and infrastructure projects.
• Cut-and-Cover Tunneling Cut-and-cover tunneling methods for construction at shallow depths, typically used near the surface for transit stations and utility crossings.
• Tunnel Rehabilitation & Maintenance Tunnel rehabilitation, cleaning, inspection, and maintenance services for existing infrastructure, including contracts with NYC DEP for water tunnel cleaning.
• Blind Drilling Full-face blind drilling services for vertical ventilation and escape shafts using large-diameter drilling rigs, holding a US record for 16-ft diameter single-pass blind drilled shafts.
• Raise Boring Raise boring machine (RBM) services for excavating vertical and inclined shafts from underground, used in mine ventilation and access shafts.
• Conventional Shaft Sinking Conventional shaft sinking methods for deep vertical shaft excavation and concrete lining, used for mine service and production shafts.
• Slope Construction Inclined shaft and slope portal construction using drill-and-blast and roadheader methods for mine access portals.
• FKC-Lake Shore Service Hoisting Systems Design-build-install service hoisting systems including friction hoists, headframes, service cages, and electrical controls for transporting personnel and materials in vertical mine shafts.
• FKC-Lake Shore Production Hoisting Systems Production hoisting systems including over/under hoists and skips for ore and material extraction from underground mines, with capacities from 3-ton to 125-ton.
• FKC-Lake Shore Emergency Escape Hoisting Systems Emergency egress hoisting systems for safe evacuation of personnel from underground mines in compliance with MSHA requirements.
• FKC-Lake Shore Vertical Conveyors (FLEXOWELL) FLEXOWELL S-shape vertical belt conveyor systems for transporting tunnel muck and ore from underground to surface at depths up to 400m, achieving 200-680 tons-per-hour capacity at various lifts.
• Sentinel Safety Catch System 2-stage mechanical cage safety catch system combining wedge brakes and Technogrid strain energy absorbers for personnel protection in event of rope break; deceleration rates of 0.9-2.0g.
• FKC-Lake Shore Slope/Decline Hoisting Systems Inclined hoisting systems for slope and decline portals including brake cars, supply cars, and deflection sheaves for use in slope mines.
• FKC-Lake Shore Mine Cages Underground mine service cages in various capacities (up to 85-man) for personnel transport in vertical shafts, compatible with the Sentinel Safety Catch.
• FKC-Lake Shore Mine Skips Underground mine skips including Jeto bottom-dump skips for ore and material hoisting in production shafts.
• FKC-Lake Shore Brakeman Cars Personnel transport cars for slope mines including 16-man brake cars, 20-man auxiliary cars, and 4-man Barney maintenance cars with 48VDC electromagnetic braking and overspeed/rollback protection.
• FKC-Lake Shore Sheaves Head sheaves and deflection sheaves in various diameters up to 21 ft with 60-ton capacity for multi-rope and single-rope hoisting configurations; optional load cells and encoders.
• FKC-Lake Shore Electrical Controls Custom electrical control systems including main control panels, operator consoles, and climate-controlled E-Houses for hoisting equipment integration.
• FKC-Lake Shore Preventive Maintenance Program Structured maintenance program with 30/60/90/180-day service intervals including inspections, thermal imaging, vibration analysis, and NDT testing for hoisting equipment.
• FKC-Lake Shore Field Services Installation, repair, and maintenance services including wire rope NDT and thermal imaging by certified technicians; 24/7 emergency repair hotline available.
• FKC-Lake Shore Aftermarket Parts Replacement parts, rope attachments, and fabricated components for hoisting equipment including wire rope safety glands.
• Used Construction Equipment Sales Sale of surplus tunneling and mining construction equipment including TBMs, jumbos, LHDs, locomotives, concrete pumps, shotcrete sprayers, haul trucks, and various attachments.

Quantifiable outcome

• World record 400m vertical lift conveyor at Fresnillo Mine
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers15 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

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• FK/ASL Joint Venture (FKC ULC/Aecon SNC Lavalin JV)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture with ASL (Aecon SNC Lavalin) for the John Hart Generating Station Replacement Project in Campbell River, BC. Frontier-Kemper/ASL JV constructed underground workings including power tunnel, powerhouse, and shafts.
• Granite/Traylor/Frontier-Kemper JVcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture with Granite Construction and Traylor Bros for East Side Access Queens Tunnels project for NYC MTA. Built four 19.5-ft diameter tunnels totaling 10,500 LF.
• Seymour-Cap Partnership (FKC ULC/J.F. Shea/Aecon JV)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture for Seymour-Capilano Twin Tunnels project for Greater Vancouver Water District. Built twin 12.5-ft diameter water tunnels.
• Waneta Tunnelers Partnership (Redpath/Frontier-Kemper ULC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture with Redpath for Waneta Expansion Project penstock tunnels in Trail, BC. Built two parallel penstock tunnels using drill-and-blast methods.
• Frontier-Kemper/Michels JVcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture with Michels for Eagle Mountain-Woodfibre Gas Pipeline Project in Squamish, BC. Approximately 9 km of tunnel using two TBMs.
• Frontier-Kemper/Tutor Perini JVcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture with parent company Tutor Perini for Purple Line Extension Section 3 Tunnels Project in Los Angeles. Two 23.4-ft diameter EPB TBM tunnels totaling 13,680 LF each.
• TP/O&G JVcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture for Purple Line Extension Section 2 Vertical Conveyors project for LA Metro.
• Tutor Perini CorporationcoreOthersParent company. Frontier-Kemper is a subsidiary of Tutor Perini Corporation, one of the largest US general contractors with expertise in civil and building construction.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Skanska USA Civil: Large, diversified civil contractor with a major tunneling practice (e.g., NYC Second Avenue Subway, LA Metro). Competes with Frontier-Kemper on transit tunnel bids as both prime and JV partner; broader portfolio includes highways, bridges, and building construction.
• Dragados USA: US arm of Spanish ACS Group/Dragados, a major global tunneling and infrastructure contractor. Competes with Frontier-Kemper on mega transit tunnel projects and operates as both prime contractor and JV partner.
• Herrenknecht AG: Global leader in TBM and microtunneling machine manufacturing. Adjacent to Frontier-Kemper's business since Frontier-Kemper operates (rather than manufactures) TBMs, but Herrenknecht is the de facto equipment supplier and increasingly offers construction services that compete with specialty contractors.

Direct peers

• DMC Mining Services: North American shaft sinking and underground mining contractor. Comparable in scope to Frontier-Kemper's mine development services with overlap in raise boring and shaft construction for both coal and metal mines.
• The Redpath Group: Canadian-based global mining contractor specializing in shaft sinking, raise boring, and underground mine development. Directly comparable to Frontier-Kemper's mine development division and a JV partner on the Waneta Expansion Project.
• Traylor Bros., Inc. Heavy civil underground contractor focused on tunnels, shafts, and marine foundations. JV partner with Frontier-Kemper on East Side Access and directly competes on transit and water tunnel bids.
• Barnard Construction Company: Employee-owned heavy civil contractor specializing in tunnel, underground, and water infrastructure. Direct competitor on water tunnel and microtunneling work (similar to Frontier-Kemper's LADWP and Paradise Whitney projects).
• Jay Dee Contractors (Obayashi): Specialty tunnel and shaft contractor owned by Obayashi Corporation. Directly competes with Frontier-Kemper on heavy civil tunnel projects (transit, water, sewer) using TBM, SEM, and drill-and-blast methods.
• Cementation Americas (Murray & Roberts): Shaft sinking, raise boring, and underground mine construction contractor operating across North and South America. Directly competes with Frontier-Kemper on mining shaft and underground development work and shares customer overlap with major mining operators.

Emerging players

• The Robbins Company: US-headquartered TBM manufacturer and tunnel services provider. Comparable to Frontier-Kemper's TBM tunneling practice; increasingly competes on small-diameter and specialty tunneling projects and supplies equipment to many of the same contractors Frontier-Kemper partners with.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/frontier-kemper-constructors-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Frontier-Kemper Constructors, Inc.