Sturgeon Services International

What Sturgeon Services International does

Sturgeon Services International (SSI) is a privately held, full-service heavy civil, earthwork, grading, and demolition contractor founded in 1927 in Bakersfield, California by Henry Sturgeon (originally as Sturgeon & Son). The company delivers project-based construction and maintenance services across oil and gas (its original and primary market), commercial, industrial, agricultural, government, and residential customer segments in California, Texas (Permian Basin), Nevada, and New Mexico. Operations are anchored by dual state headquarters in Bakersfield, CA and Midland, TX, supported by 13+ additional field offices and a safety-first EHS culture reflected in a 0.60 EMR (2024), zero LTIR for four consecutive years, and ABC Gold/Platinum/Diamond safety awards.

The company's core technical capability rests on an owned equipment fleet spanning Guzzler industrial vacuums (up to 5,000 CFM), self-contained hydro excavation trucks, ground penetrating radar with survey-grade GPS and radio detection, laser-guided grading machinery, wheeled and tracked rathole drills (40-120 ft depth), portable crushing facilities, and a transportation fleet (bottom dumps, end dumps, 10-wheelers, heavy haul). Integrated service lines include grading/earthwork, demolition with on-site crushing, drilling pad and facility pad construction, wellhead/pipeline/facility/tank abandonment, hydro excavation, GPR/line locating, rathole drilling, asbestos/mercury/lead abatement, and transportation hauling. SSI's ZID (Zero Incidents by Design) EHS management system and licensed California grading/abatement credentials support prequalification with safety-conscious enterprise and public-sector buyers.

Revenue is generated through project-based, quote-driven contracting under professional-services and equipment-rental models, with no publicly disclosed pricing. The go-to-market is relationship-driven enterprise and field sales targeting large oil and gas majors (Chevron, Aera Energy, Occidental, PXP) plus government and education buyers (Kern High School District, Bakersfield City School District, Housing Authority of Kern County), with a separate inside-sales channel offering free estimates to residential customers. Marketing is minimal — primarily the corporate website, direct phone-based intake (separate CA and TX lines), and Paycom-hosted job postings — with no paid digital or social programs evident. The company is privately held with no disclosed parent, institutional investor, or outside equity sponsor.

Name

Sturgeon Services International

Legal name

Sturgeon Services International, Inc

Website

https://sturgeonservices.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1927

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Sturgeon Services International is a privately held, full-service heavy civil, earthwork, grading, and demolition contractor founded in 1927. Headquartered in Bakersfield, CA with a regional office in Midland, TX, it serves oil and gas, commercial, industrial, government, and residential clients across the Western and Southern US.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Heavy Civil Construction Services

akta.pro primary industry

Dewatering & Groundwater Control (Wellpoints, Deep Wells, Cutoff Systems) (IMAFAOAF)

Keywords

• Heavy civil construction
• Oilfield construction services
• Earthwork grading services
• Demolition contractor services
• Hydro excavation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Bakersfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices15 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Heavy civil and earthwork contracts: Project-based contracts for grading, earthwork, portable crushing, and asbestos/mercury/lead abatement services delivered to oil and gas, commercial, industrial, agricultural, and government clients. Each engagement is scoped to the customer's project requirements.
2. Oilfield construction and maintenance services: Comprehensive oilfield services including drilling pad construction, facility pad construction, frac pond construction, lease road construction and repair, wellhead abandonment, pipeline abandonment, facility abandonment, tank abandonment, and surface abandonment. Delivered to large oil companies throughout California and the Permian Basin.
3. Transportation and hauling services: Equipment-based transport services using transfer trucks, 10-wheelers, vacuum trucks (Guzzlers), bottom dumps, end dumps, and heavy haul rigs to support construction and oilfield operations.
4. Specialty support services (GPR, hydro excavation, rathole drilling): Niche service lines including ground penetrating radar/line locating, hydro excavation, and rathole drilling sold as standalone or bundled scopes to clients in the public and private sectors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Sturgeon Services International is a full-service heavy civil earthwork and demolition contractor providing construction and maintenance services for the oilfield industry and general contracting services. The company delivers integrated project scopes covering grading, earthwork, demolition, drilling pad and lease road construction, wellhead/pipeline/facility/tank abandonment, asbestos/mercury/lead abatement, hydro excavation, ground penetrating radar/line locating, rathole drilling, and transportation services to oil and gas, commercial, industrial, agricultural, government, and residential clients across California and Texas.

Product overview

Sturgeon Services International (SSI) is a single, unified full-service heavy civil, earthwork, and demolition contractor rather than a software platform — its "offering" is an integrated portfolio of construction and oilfield services delivered under one brand across California and the Permian Basin. The core service lines are Grading & Earthwork, Demolition Services, Heavy Civil / Earthwork (Texas / Permian Basin), Transportation Services, and Portable Crushing, which are supported by a set of specialty and support modules: Asbestos, Mercury & Lead Abatement; Guzzler & Vacuum Truck Support; Ground Penetrating Radar & Line Locating (with GPS); Hydro Excavation; and Rathole Drilling / Spiradrill. Founded in 1927 (formerly Sturgeon & Son) and headquartered in Bakersfield, CA, SSI positions itself as a "One Stop Shop" for oilfield and general contracting needs, with EHS performance and OSHA safety outcomes (TRIR, LTIR, EMR) publicly tracked.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grading & Earthwork Fully licensed California grading contractor delivering the full spectrum of grading services for public and private clients (residential, commercial, industrial), using laser-guided grading machinery for pinpoint accuracy across projects of all sizes.
• Demolition Services Demolition division offering the complete spectrum of demolition services (cutting, core drilling, breaking, removal, and concrete disposal via a company-owned crushing facility) with a focus on safety and efficiency, serving oil and gas, agriculture, power plant, and structural projects.
• Heavy Civil / Earthwork (Texas / Permian Basin) Texas-based heavy civil and earthwork line covering drilling pad construction, facility pad construction, landfill construction, frac pond construction, lease road construction and repair, land restoration/remediation, grading, hauling, wellhead/pipeline/facility/tank/surface abandonment, pad reclamation, and pit closures for the Permian Basin and southern United States.
• Asbestos, Mercury & Lead Abatement Licensed asbestos, mercury, and lead abatement and removal services, including evaluation and removal of lead paint, dust, mold, and paint chips for commercial, industrial, and residential customers.
• Guzzler & Vacuum Truck Support Industrial vacuum support using Guzzler industrial vacuums (up to 5,000 CFM) often paired with vacuum trucks, used to pull solids, mud, sludge, liquids, slurries, dry bulk powders, and other materials from tanks, vessels, and excavation sites.
• Ground Penetrating Radar & Line Locating (with GPS) Comprehensive subsurface line locating service combining radio detection locators, passive line locators, ground penetrating radar (GPR), and shovel verification, paired with survey-grade GPS to produce geo-referenced maps of above- and below-grade lines for excavation planning and crew safety.
• Hydro Excavation Non-destructive hydro excavation using self-contained trucks with a pressurized water stream combined with a high-powered Guzzler vacuum, used for potholing and trenching near sensitive structures such as pipelines, phone lines, and fiber optics.
• Rathole Drilling / Spiradrill Rathole drilling service that prepares drill sites ahead of a main drilling rig, capable of drilling 40' to 120' deep using wheeled or tracked machinery with hydraulic or air-powered systems, followed by casing and cementing in place.
• Portable Crushing Portable crushing capability offered as part of the heavy civil line, supporting concrete disposal and aggregate processing on demolition and earthwork projects.
• Transportation Services Fleet of transportation vehicles including transfer trucks, 10-wheelers, bottom dumps, end dumps, and heavy haul trucks, used in support of grading, demolition, and oilfield projects.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2024 EMR of 0.60 — 41% below industry standard of 1.0
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 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

Integration3 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core equipment partner and operational vendor.

• Guzzler (industrial vacuum manufacturer)core equipment partnerTechnology or IntegrationSturgeon Services is a heavy user of Guzzler industrial vacuum equipment across its vacuum truck support, hydro excavation, and oilfield tank/vessel cleaning services. The site cross-references www.guzzler.com and highlights Guzzler's 5,000 CFM suction capability as central to SSI's service offering.
• Paycomoperational vendorTechnology or IntegrationPaycom is used by SSI as its HR, payroll, and applicant tracking platform. The careers page links directly to Paycom-hosted job boards for California and Texas positions.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• MasTec, Inc. Large public infrastructure construction company serving oil & gas, power, communications, and utility end markets. Overlaps with Sturgeon in oilfield construction, pad/road building, and demolition scopes, but operates at much larger scale and across more end markets.
• Granite Construction Incorporated: Public heavy civil construction company focused on transportation infrastructure, water resources, and site development. Comparable to Sturgeon in grading, earthwork, and demolition capabilities, but anchored more in transportation infrastructure and public works than oilfield services.
• Clean Harbors, Inc. Public environmental and industrial services company offering hazardous-waste handling, abatement, and remediation. Comparable to Sturgeon on the asbestos, mercury, and lead abatement line, though Clean Harbors operates at national scale across many more environmental service categories.
• Quanta Services, Inc. Large public infrastructure services company serving the electric, oil & gas, and telecommunications industries with construction and maintenance solutions. Adjacent broad incumbent with overlap to Sturgeon's pipeline and facility abandonment plus oilfield construction work.
• Halliburton Company: One of the largest global oilfield services companies, providing drilling, completion, and production services across major U.S. basins including the Permian. Represents a much larger, broad incumbent that touches many of the same oil & gas customers as Sturgeon for pad construction and abandonment scopes, though its core offering is upstream services rather than civil construction.

Direct peers

• Sterling Infrastructure (formerly Sterling Construction): Heavy civil construction company with segments in transportation, water, and specialty services including ground improvement and concrete. Comparable to Sturgeon as a multi-service heavy civil contractor executing earthwork, demolition, and infrastructure projects for enterprise and public-sector buyers.
• Primoris Services Corporation: Public infrastructure and energy construction contractor delivering heavy civil, pipeline, and oilfield construction services across the U.S., including the Permian Basin. Closely comparable to Sturgeon in scope (grading, earthwork, demolition, oilfield pad and facility construction) and in serving enterprise oil & gas and utility customers.
• Badger Daylighting: North American provider of hydro excavation and vacuum truck services, particularly for oil & gas, utility, and industrial customers. Direct overlap with Sturgeon's hydro excavation and Guzzler vacuum truck service line, including non-destructive excavation near sensitive underground infrastructure.
• Below the Surface (BTS): Regional hydro excavation and vacuum truck services provider serving oil & gas, utility, and construction customers in the western U.S. Directly comparable to Sturgeon's hydro excavation and Guzzler vacuum truck support offering on a similar geography.

Emerging players

• IES Holdings, Inc. Public provider of electrical and mechanical infrastructure services with industrial and oilfield exposure. Adjacent peer to Sturgeon given its industrial-site contracting work, though focused more on electrical/mechanical scopes than earthwork and demolition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Sturgeon Services International