J. H. Botts

What J. H. Botts does

J.H. Botts, LLC is a privately held specialty steel manufacturer founded in 1973 and operating from a single facility at 253 Bruce Street in Joliet, Illinois. The company produces anchor bolts, anchor rods, couplings, and related fastening components for the roadway lighting, traffic signal, and sign structure industries, with a secondary extension into helical/pier foundations. Production is vertically integrated in-house, encompassing forging, custom threading, and hot-dip galvanizing, which allows the company to control metallurgy and finish quality across both standard and custom specifications.

The company sells primarily to state Departments of Transportation (with explicit approved-supplier status in Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Missouri, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, and active supply relationships in roughly 13 additional states), electrical and roadway distributors, and steel fabricators serving infrastructure projects. Customer relationships are long-tenured, with distributors describing 20+ year partnerships and fabricators citing 10+ year relationships with the company. Specifications such as ASTM A1554 and A588, ANSI C135.30/31/32, and AISC certification frame the technical and quality baseline.

Revenue is generated through project- and catalog-based sales of made-to-order and stock anchor bolt and rod products, with no public pricing model disclosed. The business model is fundamentally project-driven infrastructure B2B, with DOT specifications doing much of the demand-shaping work. The 2022-era rollout of the Hexport online portal signals a modest shift toward digital ordering and inventory visibility for distributor customers, but the company remains a manufacturing-led, contract-driven industrial business rather than a software- or platform-led enterprise.

Name

J. H. Botts

Legal name

J.H. Botts, LLC

Website

https://jhbotts.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

J.H. Botts is a specialty steel manufacturer founded in 1973 that produces anchor bolts, rods, couplings, and helical foundations for roadway lighting, traffic signal, and sign structure infrastructure, serving state DOTs, distributors, and steel fabricators from its single Joliet, Illinois facility.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Joliet

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Anchor Bolts & Hardware Products: Sale of manufactured anchor bolts, rods, nuts, washers, and related hardware products. Products include straight rods/SAG rods, bent anchor bolts, swedge bolts, hook & J bolts, rise and run rods, rebar, threaded rod, heavy hex nuts, hex nuts, coupling nuts, lock nuts, washers, and Direct Tension Indicators.
2. Fabricated Structural Products: Custom and standard fabricated products including helical foundations, traversable pipe grating, pole foundation adapters, and fabricated embedment assemblies for DOT and infrastructure projects.
3. Custom Manufacturing Services: Custom manufacturing to client specific needs, including custom sizes, finishes, and configurations beyond standard catalog offerings.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

J.H. Botts manufactures anchor bolts, rods, nuts, washers, threaded rod, rebar, and fabricated structural products (helical foundations, anchor bolt cages, traversable pipe grating, pole foundation adapters, and embedment assemblies) from raw steel materials to ASTM F1554 and ASTM A449 specifications. The company serves roadway lighting, traffic signal, and sign structure infrastructure projects, with in-house threading and welding capabilities supporting custom manufacturing to project specifications within ANSI tolerances.

Product overview

J.H. Botts is a steel fabrication and anchor bolt manufacturer established in 1973, offering a comprehensive portfolio of products for the roadway lighting, traffic signal, and sign structure industries. The product lineup centers on anchor bolts and rods (including Straight Rods, Bent Anchor Bolts, Swedge Bolts, Hook & J Bolts), complemented by nuts (Heavy Hex Nuts, Hex Nuts, Coupling Nuts, Lock Nuts), washers (F436 Structural Washers, Plate Washers, DTIs), threaded rod, rebar, and mechanical connection hardware (Tie Rod Assemblies, Clevises, Turnbuckles, Clevis Pins). Beyond standard fasteners, the company manufactures fabricated products including Helical Foundations, Traversable Pipe Grating, Anchor Bolt Cages, Pole Foundation Adapters, and Fabricated Embedment Assemblies. All products emphasize ASTM F1554 and ASTM A449 material specifications, with custom manufacturing capabilities for specific project needs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Anchor Bolts & Rods

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 20 years of customer relationships with distributors
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AISC (American Institute of Steel Construction)coreOthersIndustry association membership providing certification and recognition as an approved manufacturer for structural steel products.
• NSBA (National Steel Bridge Alliance)minorOthersIndustry association membership supporting the steel bridge construction industry.
• ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials)coreOthersStandards organization whose specifications J.H. Botts manufactures to, including F1554, F436, F844, A449, A563, A194, B695.
• IFI (Industrial Fasteners Institute)minorOthersIndustry association for the fastener manufacturing industry.
• DFI (Deep Foundations Institute)minorOthersIndustry association related to deep foundations, relevant to helical foundation products.
• NATE (National Association of Tower Erectors)minorOthersIndustry association for tower erection, relevant to sign structure and lighting pole foundations.
• NPCA (National Precast Concrete Association)minorOthersIndustry association for precast concrete manufacturers, relevant to structural products.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Niagara Bolt: Structural fastener manufacturer specializing in heavy hex bolts, anchor bolts, and made-to-order fasteners for infrastructure and construction. Comparable product category and ASTM-spec focus.
• Portland Bolt & Manufacturing: Custom manufacturer of anchor bolts, structural bolts, and tie rods serving DOT, infrastructure, and construction markets. Highly comparable in product mix, ASTM-spec focus, and custom threading/bending capabilities to J.H. Botts.
• LeJeune Bolt Company: Manufacturer of large-diameter anchor bolts, structural fasteners, and fabricated fasteners for bridge, highway, and DOT applications. Comparable in core product, customer base, and reliance on custom manufacturing.
• Birmingham Fastener: Manufacturer and distributor of structural bolts, anchor bolts, nuts, washers, and threaded rod for construction and infrastructure. Directly comparable product portfolio and customer segments to J.H. Botts.
• Haydon Bolts: Structural and anchor bolt manufacturer serving bridge, highway, and infrastructure projects. Overlaps with J.H. Botts on large-diameter anchor bolts, nuts, and fabricated assemblies for DOT work.
• Fontana Fasteners: Producer of large-diameter structural bolts, anchor rods, and tie rods for bridges, buildings, and DOT projects. Comparable custom manufacturing and large-format fastener focus.

Broad incumbents

• nVent (Erico): Global manufacturer of electrical and grounding connections, including concrete anchors and infrastructure fastening systems. Adjacent and overlapping in roadway and electrical infrastructure fastening.
• Simpson Strong-Tie: Large established manufacturer of structural connectors, anchors, and fasteners for commercial and infrastructure construction. Overlaps with J.H. Botts on anchor bolts and connectors but operates at national scale with a broader product portfolio.
• Hilti: Global construction fastener and anchoring products company serving commercial, infrastructure, and energy end-markets. Competes in anchoring but at much broader scope and scale than J.H. Botts.

Regional players

• Vulcan Threaded Products: Manufacturer of threaded rod, anchor bolts, and related fasteners primarily serving southern U.S. construction and infrastructure markets. Comparable product mix with a regional rather than multi-state DOT footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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 J. H. Botts