Cardinal Group

What Cardinal Group does

Cardinal Group, Incorporated is a privately held, family-of-companies industrial services platform headquartered in Akron, Ohio, operating continuously since its founding in July 1962 as a commercial cleaning business. The company delivers environmental services, facility maintenance, non-hazardous material transportation, and operational visibility solutions to industrial, commercial, institutional, and municipal clients across the Midwest, Southeast, and Southwest United States. Its portfolio is organized under four wholly-owned operating brands: Cardinal Environmental (industrial cleaning and by-product materials management, remediation, and environmental surveys for manufacturing and process-driven facilities); Cardinal Maintenance (embedded manufacturing supply chain labor plus commercial and industrial janitorial services); Greyhound Hauling Express (non-hazardous material transportation, trailer and container services, and disposal support, acquired February 2021); and Cardinal Intelligent Technologies (real-time operational visibility and data integration across service lines). The company completed a strategic divestiture of its Cardinal Safety Products distribution business to DiVal Safety Equipment in April 2023, explicitly positioning the remaining business as a focused commercial and industrial services provider.

The business model is sales-led and project-based, with Co-Chief Executive Officers Brandon Skidmore and Brian Madden leading operations and sales across all divisions. Revenue is generated primarily through professional services contracts — industrial cleaning, embedded labor, janitorial work, transportation, and remediation — custom-quoted per client scope rather than via disclosed list pricing. Cardinal Intelligent Technologies represents the company's effort to layer technology (operational data, visibility, integration) onto its labor-intensive service stack, though the disclosed differentiator is interoperability rather than proprietary AI. The go-to-market relies on direct field sales to enterprise industrial and commercial clients, supported by regional hubs across three U.S. regions and a core financial partnership with Farmers National Bank that has publicly supported its multi-state growth. Cardinal is not venture-backed, has no parent company, and shows no evidence of institutional equity ownership; growth is financed internally and executed selectively through add-on M&A, with the Greyhound Hauling Express acquisition as the most recent inorganic move.

Name

Cardinal Group

Legal name

Cardinal Group, Incorporated

Website

https://cardinal-group.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cardinal Group is a privately held, family-of-companies industrial services platform headquartered in Akron, Ohio, delivering environmental cleaning, facility maintenance, embedded labor, non-hazardous transportation, and operational visibility to industrial, commercial, institutional, and municipal clients across the Midwest, Southeast, and Southwest United States since 1962.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Akron

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Environmental Services: Industrial cleaning and industrial by-product materials management for manufacturing and process-driven facilities, along with remediation and environmental survey services.
2. Facility Maintenance: Manufacturing supply chain embedded labor solutions and commercial and industrial janitorial services supporting day-to-day operations.
3. Transportation Services: Non-hazardous material transportation, trailer and container services, and disposal support for environmental and industrial operations through Greyhound Hauling Express.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cardinal Group is a privately held family of companies providing industrial cleaning, environmental services, embedded labor and janitorial services, non-hazardous material transportation, and operational visibility technology. The company serves manufacturing, commercial, institutional, and municipal clients through four operating brands: Cardinal Environmental, Cardinal Maintenance, Greyhound Hauling Express, and Cardinal Intelligent Technologies.

Product overview

Cardinal Group is an industrial services company operating as a family of companies with a multi-brand portfolio. The core offering consists of four integrated sub-brands: Cardinal Environmental (industrial cleaning and by-product materials management), Cardinal Maintenance (embedded labor solutions and janitorial services), Greyhound Hauling Express (non-hazardous material transportation and disposal support), and Cardinal Intelligent Technologies (operational visibility and technology-driven solutions). Together, these brands provide a comprehensive approach to materials management, facility support, transportation, and operational visibility for industrial, commercial, institutional, and municipal clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cardinal Environmental Industrial cleaning and industrial by-product materials management for manufacturing and process-driven facilities, along with remediation and environmental survey services.
• Cardinal Maintenance Embedded labor solutions supporting manufacturing supply chains and commercial/industrial janitorial services for day-to-day facility operations.
• Greyhound Hauling Express Non-hazardous material transportation, trailer and container services, and disposal support for environmental and industrial operations.
• Cardinal Intelligent Technologies Technology-driven solutions providing real-time operational data and visibility, supporting informed decision-making across materials management, facility support, and transportation services.

Named customers3 records

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• DiVal Safety Equipment, Inc.minorOthers · 14 April 2023DiVal Safety Equipment acquired Cardinal Safety Products, the safety products distribution business unit of Cardinal Group, for an undisclosed amount. DiVal Safety is a premier B2B distributor of safety equipment, industrial tools, contractor supplies, and MRO products.
• Greyhound Hauling Express LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2021Cardinal Group completed the purchase of Greyhound Hauling Express LLC, expanding environmental services offerings and continuing geographic expansion from central Ohio office. Greyhound Hauling Express provides non-hazardous material transportation, trailer and container services, and disposal support.
• Roetzel & AndressminorOthers · 1 February 2021Acted as primary legal counsel to Cardinal Group during the Greyhound Hauling Express acquisition.
• Bailey Cavalieri LLCminorOthers · 1 February 2021Acted as legal advisors to Greyhound Hauling Express during the acquisition by Cardinal Group.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Clean Harbors: Largest North American provider of environmental and industrial services, including industrial cleaning, waste management, and remediation. Direct functional overlap with Cardinal Environmental and Greyhound Hauling Express, but operates at significantly larger scale with national footprint and broader service menu.
• GFL Environmental: Diversified environmental services company providing solid waste, liquid waste, and infrastructure services across North America. Comparable to Cardinal's environmental, maintenance, and transportation portfolio, though GFL is significantly larger and has a more national footprint.
• Bilfinger: European-headquartered industrial services provider offering maintenance, environmental, and process services to heavy industrial customers. Comparable to Cardinal's heavy industrial and environmental services portfolio, though at significantly larger scale and global footprint.
• Republic Services: Major U.S. environmental services provider offering solid waste, recycling, and industrial services. Overlaps with Cardinal's environmental and transportation services for industrial customers, but operates as a national publicly-listed incumbent with much broader scope.
• Veolia Environnement: Global environmental services company providing waste management, water, and industrial cleaning services. Overlaps broadly with Cardinal Environmental, particularly in industrial cleaning and by-product management for manufacturing and process industries.

Direct peers

• US Ecology: Provider of environmental services including industrial waste management, field services, and emergency response. Directly comparable to Cardinal Environmental's industrial cleaning, by-product management, and remediation offerings for industrial and energy customers.
• Heritage-Crystal Clean: U.S. provider of industrial cleaning, environmental, and waste management services to manufacturing and industrial customers. Direct comparable to Cardinal Environmental's industrial cleaning, by-product management, and remediation offerings, with a similar customer profile in small and mid-market industrial accounts.
• Stericycle: Specialized waste management and environmental services company serving industrial, commercial, and institutional customers. Comparable to Cardinal's industrial cleaning, by-product management, and transportation services, with overlapping regulated waste handling capabilities.
• ABM Industries: National provider of integrated facility services including janitorial, maintenance, and industrial cleaning. Closest direct comparable to Cardinal Maintenance's janitorial and embedded labor services for commercial, industrial, and institutional clients.

Regional players

• Rumpke Consolidated Companies: Family-owned regional environmental services company based in the Midwest providing waste collection, recycling, and industrial services. Highly comparable to Cardinal in ownership profile (private, family-led) and regional focus, with overlapping industrial and commercial customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries4 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 Cardinal Group