What C&M McNally Engineering does

C&M McNally Engineering Corp is a privately held, family-owned general contractor founded in 1979 in Burlington, Ontario, specializing in underground infrastructure tunneling for municipal and utility clients across Canada and the United States. The company has built over 100 tunnels and more than 300 km of infrastructure for projects including watermains, sanitary and storm sewers, lake intake and outfall tunnels, and district energy systems. Its customer base is concentrated in Canadian municipalities (City of Toronto, Region of Halton, Region of Peel) and US public-sector clients (North East Ohio Regional Sewer District, Sister Grove Regional Water Authority), supplemented by private utility work (Enwave Energy Corporation).

The company's technology stack centers on tunnel boring machines (TBMs) covering Earth Pressure Balance (EPB), slurry, microtunnelling, and conventional support methods, supported by patented and proprietary systems including the McNally Roof Support System (for tunnel stability and crew safety) and the McNally Air Car (for precision pipe installation). Equipment is custom-designed and fabricated in-house for unique ground conditions, giving the firm technical range across rock, soil, mixed-face, above- and below-water-table conditions. Services are delivered as design-build general contracting, with the firm also participating as Joint Venture Partner or subcontractor on mega-projects.

C&M McNally generates revenue through project-based contracts awarded via municipal procurement and direct negotiation, with no public pricing or recurring subscription model. Sales are relationship-driven, and the firm has a documented track record of repeat work with the same public-sector clients. The business remains wholly family-owned (four McNally-family owners as of the 2000s), with no external institutional capital, no public listing, and no disclosed financial figures. The go-to-market motion is enterprise field sales to public procurement and engineering departments, supplemented by project case-study content on its website and active participation in industry associations (OSWCA, GTSWCA, CCA) and union partnerships (LiUNA, IUOE).

Name

C&M McNally Engineering

Legal name

C&M McNally Engineering Corp

Website

https://mcnally.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Short description

C&M McNally Engineering Corp is a family-owned Canadian general contractor, founded in 1979 and based in Burlington, Ontario, specializing in underground infrastructure tunneling (watermains, sewers, outfalls) for municipal and utility clients across Canada and the US using EPB, slurry, and microtunnelling methods with custom-built TBMs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Underground Infrastructure Tunneling Services

NAICS

Agriculture, Construction, and Mining Machinery Manufacturing (3331), Construction Machinery Manufacturing (333120)

SIC

Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623), Heavy Construction Other Than Bldg Const - Contractors (1600)

akta.pro primary industry

Storage & Conveyance Structures (Reservoirs, Tanks, Culverts, Tunnels) (IMAFAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water Conveyance Tunnels & Large-Diameter Pressure Mains (Long-Distance) (TLAGAHAI), Underground Duct, Conduit & Manhole/Vault Construction (Telecom Civils) (IMAFAIAK)

Keywords

• Underground infrastructure tunneling
• Tunnel boring machines
• Microtunnelling services
• Watermain installation
• Sanitary sewer construction

Headquarters

HQ city

Burlington

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Infrastructure Tunnelling Contracts: C&M McNally operates as a general contractor delivering underground infrastructure projects for public and private sector clients. Revenue is generated through project-based contracts for tunnel construction, watermain installation, sewer systems, and related civil engineering works. The company also participates as Joint Venture Partner and Subcontractor on major projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

C&M McNally Engineering is a general contractor that designs and builds underground infrastructure tunnels for municipal governments and utility companies. The company delivers watermains, sanitary sewers, stormwater systems, utility conduits, and lake intake/outfall tunnels using Tunnel Boring Machines, microtunnelling, Earth Pressure Balance (EPB) and slurry methods, supported by custom-built equipment including the patented McNally Roof Support System and the McNally Air Car. Projects are secured through direct contract bidding, joint ventures, and subcontracting across Canada and the United States.

Product overview

C&M McNally Engineering is a general contractor specializing in underground infrastructure tunneling. The company offers a unified portfolio of tunneling services built around specialized equipment: Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) for various ground conditions, the patented McNally Roof Support System, the McNally Air Car for precision pipe installation, and Micro Tunnelling services using remote-controlled boring and pipe jacking. These equipment capabilities are deployed across multiple tunneling methods including Earth Pressure Balance (EPB), Slurry, and conventional support systems, enabling delivery of complex infrastructure projects such as watermains, sanitary sewers, stormwater systems, and utility conduits.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Infrastructure Tunnelling Services
• Microtunnelling Services
• Earth Pressure Balance (EPB) Tunnelling
• Slurry Tunnelling
• Tunnel Support Systems
• Watermain Tunnelling
• Sanitary Sewer Tunnelling
• Stormwater Management Tunnelling
• Lake Intake and Outfall Tunnelling
• Utility Conduit Tunnelling

Named customers8 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NTC Joint Venture (Coxwell Sanitary Bypass Tunnel)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivered as part of the NTC Joint Venture, this major deep-tunnel project connects the Ashbridges Bay Treatment Plant to Coxwell Ravine Park. The joint venture enabled C&M McNally to deliver complex infrastructure with shared resources and expertise.
• TMM Joint Venture (Sister Grove Outfall Tunnel)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivered as part of the TMM joint venture with C&M McNally and partners, this project involved construction of two 3m diameter tunnels for the Sister Grove Regional Water Authority. The team earned the highest technical and commercial evaluation score among all bidders.
• Infrastructure Health & Safety Association (IHSA)minorOthersIndustry association providing health and safety resources for construction industry. McNally maintains membership as part of safety commitment.
• Greater Toronto Sewer and Watermain Construction Association (GTSWCA)minorOthersRegional industry association for sewer and watermain construction. John Teahen serves as Director and past President.
• Ontario Sewer and Watermain Construction Association (OSWCA)minorOthersProvincial industry association for sewer and watermain construction sector.
• Canadian Construction Association (CCA)minorOthersNational construction industry association representing contractors across Canada.
• LiUNA Local 183 (Laborers' International Union of North America)minorOthersUnion representing construction laborers. McNally maintains union workforce through this partnership.
• International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE)minorOthersUnion representing heavy equipment operators and other construction trades. McNally maintains union workforce through this partnership.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Sterling Infrastructure: US infrastructure services company with a specialty underground and water infrastructure segment. Overlaps with McNally's municipal water/sewer tunneling work but with broader geographic reach and a diversified business mix.
• Kiewit Infrastructure: One of North America's largest infrastructure contractors with a tunneling group delivering mega-projects in water, transit, and energy. Overlaps with McNally on large municipal tunnel tenders but operates at significantly greater scale and capital base.
• Granite Construction: Major publicly traded US heavy civil contractor with water resources and tunneling capabilities. Comparable on water/wastewater infrastructure tenders though broader in scope (transportation, mining, materials).
• Aecon Group: Canada's largest publicly traded construction and infrastructure development company with a concessions/infrastructure segment. Geographic and customer overlap in Ontario municipal infrastructure, including tunneling-adjacent underground works.

Direct peers

• Michels Corporation: One of North America's largest specialty contractors in tunneling, microtunneling, and trenchless construction. Directly comparable to McNally in delivering large-diameter water, sewer, and utility tunnel projects for municipal clients across the US and Canada.
• Traylor Brothers: Family-owned heavy civil contractor specializing in tunnels, shafts, and underground structures for water, sewer, and transportation infrastructure. Closely comparable business model and customer profile to C&M McNally.
• Barnard Construction Company: Heavy civil contractor with a dedicated tunneling division delivering microtunneling, conventional tunneling, and TBM-driven projects for municipal water/wastewater clients. Comparable in scope to McNally's municipal tunneling general contracting work.
• Super Excavators: US specialty contractor focused on open-cut and trenchless sewer, water main, and tunnel installation. Direct overlap with McNally's microtunneling and conventional tunneling municipal water/wastewater services.

Regional players

• Strabag SE: European-headquartered global construction group with a substantial tunneling division. Compares to McNally on tunneling methods and underground infrastructure delivery, though primary footprint is Europe rather than North America.
• Obayashi Corporation: Japanese general contractor with a strong international tunneling practice (including North American projects). Comparable in tunneling technology and project scale, though most operations sit outside McNally's core Canada/US municipal market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 C&M McNally Engineering