Tarlton
Tarlton Corporation is a privately held, family-owned (third generation) WBENC-certified general contractor and construction manager founded in 1946, headquartered in St. Louis, serving healthcare, education, energy, industrial, institutional, life sciences, and commercial clients across the U.S. Midwest with design-build, construction management, concrete, and self-perform trade services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1946
- HeadquartersSaint Louis, United States
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Tarlton does
Tarlton Corporation is a privately held, WBENC-Certified Women-owned general contracting and construction management firm headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1946 by Arthur Elsperman and partners, the company is now in its third generation of family-led ownership and operates across the U.S. Midwest with 501–1000 employees. Tarlton delivers preconstruction, design-build, general contracting, construction management, historic renovation, green building, and self-perform trade services (concrete, steel erection, millwright, excavation, carpentry) for clients in healthcare, education, life sciences, energy, industrial, institutional, commercial, civil, and water/wastewater markets.
The company pairs deep craft expertise — notably 78 years of concrete specialization certified by ASA, PTI, ICRI, and ACI — with a modern construction-technology stack including BIM (Revit, AutoCAD, BIM 360), laser scanning, robotic total station layout, Procore, Primavera P6, and digital takeoffs. Approximately 25%+ of work is self-performed through a 29,000-square-foot TEAM Facility equipment hub, providing cost and schedule control. Recent marquee projects include the $90M Block Inc. (Square/Cash App) 900 N. Tucker Historic Renovation, the $56.7M St. Louis Community College Transportation Center, the $50M Washington University School of Medicine NRB Parking Garage, the $33M St. Louis Children's Hospital renovation, and the $33.4M 4340 Duncan bioscience center.
Tarlton generates revenue through project-based fixed-price, GMP, and cost-plus contracts ranging from $934K to $90M+, with 80% of work sourced from returning enterprise and government clients. It is recognized on the ENR Top 400 Contractors, ENR Midwest Top Contractor (#52 in 2025, up from #59 in 2024), ENR Top 100 Green Contractor, St. Louis Business Journal Top 150 Privately Held, and 2nd-Largest Women-Owned Business in St. Louis. In March 2026 the firm completed a planned generational succession, with Sondra Rotty promoted to President/COO and Tracy Hart elevated to Executive Chair/CEO.
Tarlton firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Tarlton
- Legal name
- Tarlton Corporation
- Website
- https://tarltoncorp.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1946
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Tarlton Corporation is a privately held, family-owned (third generation) WBENC-certified general contractor and construction manager founded in 1946, headquartered in St. Louis, serving healthcare, education, energy, industrial, institutional, life sciences, and commercial clients across the U.S. Midwest with design-build, construction management, concrete, and self-perform trade services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Tarlton industry classification
Industry- Product category
- General Construction Services
- SIC
- General Bldg Contractors - Nonresidential Bldgs (1540)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Self-Performing General Contractors (IMAFAAAI)
Keywords
Where Tarlton is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Saint Louis
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Tarlton business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- General Contracting & Construction Management: Traditional general contracting and construction management services for complex construction projects. Revenue earned through fixed-price contracts, GMP (Guaranteed Maximum Price), and cost-plus arrangements. Projects range from $100K to $90M+.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Tarlton product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Tarlton is a general contractor and construction manager that delivers commercial, institutional, healthcare, education, industrial, energy, life-sciences, water and wastewater, and civil construction projects through preconstruction planning, design-build delivery, and full construction management. The firm self-performs more than 25% of its work with in-house crews covering concrete, millwright, steel erection, rigging, excavation, and finish carpentry, and is recognized for specialized concrete construction and historic renovation work in the U.S. Midwest.
Product overview
Tarlton is a general contractor, construction manager, and design-builder offering a comprehensive suite of construction services organized around a unified service delivery model. The core offerings include Planners & Builders, Preconstruction, Design-Build, Construction, Concrete Expertise, Self-Performance, Construction Technology, Historic Renovation, Green Building, and a Special Projects Group. These services work together as an integrated construction offering—the company emphasizes early preconstruction involvement, self-performance of concrete and specialty trades, and technology-driven planning and coordination. Tarlton serves diverse markets including Healthcare, Life Sciences, Energy, Education, Commercial, Industrial, Institutional, Civil, and Water & Wastewater.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Planners & Builders Construction planning service that anticipates risks, sequences construction phases, and accounts for design, permits, and certification from the earliest stages of a project.
- Preconstruction Preconstruction phase services delivering cost estimates, scheduling, value engineering, and constructability reviews to set projects up for success.
- Design-Build Unites design and construction under one roof providing single-source accountability, cost certainty, and seamless execution from concept to completion.
- Construction General contracting and construction management services with site-specific safety planning, quality control through QA/QC programs, and reliable schedule management.
- Concrete Expertise Specialty concrete construction and restoration services including deep foundations, structural concrete systems, tilt-up and precast construction, parking garages, and specialty structures, with crew certifications from ASA, PTI, ICRI, and ACI.
- Self-Performance Construction Self-performed construction capability covering cast-in-place concrete, demolition, equipment setting, excavation, finish carpentry, millwright work, rigging, steel erection, and welding; self-performs more than 25% of work annually for direct safety, quality, cost, and schedule control.
- Historic Renovation Restoration of historic structures with careful attention to detail, preserving original character and architectural integrity while operating within National Register of Historic Places requirements.
- Green Building Sustainable construction services driven by integrity, equity, innovation, and environmental stewardship, recognized as a LEED contractor with multiple LEED-certified projects and named Top 100 Green Contractor by ENR.
- Special Projects Group Flexible, fast-track construction services for smaller or ongoing projects customized across all industries, including facility upgrades, ongoing maintenance, critical environment projects, and full lifecycle support under MSAs.
Quantifiable outcome
- 80% of company work is with repeat clients
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Tarlton
Customer profileNamed customers18 records
Segments9 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Tarlton technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Tarlton partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators14 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Tarlton competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Gilbane Building Company: National privately held construction manager and general contractor serving healthcare, education, life sciences, and commercial markets. Comparable in vertical mix and CM/GC delivery, but operates at significantly larger national scale.
- Mortenson Construction: National privately held general contractor with strong presence in healthcare, higher education, renewable energy, and civil. Comparable in vertical focus areas and private ownership, though operating at substantially larger scale.
- Walsh Group: Chicago-based national general contractor serving healthcare, education, transportation, and water infrastructure. Comparable in Midwest roots and vertical diversification, with substantially larger scale and bonding capacity.
Direct peers
- Clayco: St. Louis-headquartered national design-build firm serving commercial, industrial, healthcare, and institutional clients. Comparable in design-build delivery model and healthcare/industrial vertical mix, though operating at a larger national scale.
- Holder Construction: Atlanta-based privately held general contractor serving healthcare, higher education, data centers, and commercial markets. Comparable as a private GC focused on complex nonresidential construction with design-build delivery.
- Paric Corporation: St. Louis-based design-build general contractor serving commercial, healthcare, education, and multifamily. Comparable in private ownership, regional focus, and design-build delivery.
- BSI Constructors: St. Louis-based general contractor serving healthcare, education, commercial, and industrial markets. Comparable in regional Midwest focus and project types.
- McCarthy Building Companies: St. Louis-based, employee-owned general contractor and construction manager founded in 1864. Closely comparable to Tarlton in scale, regional Midwest focus, and verticals including healthcare, education, and energy. Both firms are private and headquartered in St. Louis.
- Alberici Corporation: St. Louis-based privately held general contractor serving industrial, energy, healthcare, and water markets. Directly comparable in regional Midwest presence and self-perform capabilities.
- Barton Malow: Midwest-based (Southfield, MI) employee-owned general contractor serving healthcare, education, energy, industrial, and sports markets. Comparable in vertical mix and self-perform capabilities, with similar employee-ownership structure.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Tarlton social profiles
Digital presenceTarlton financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Tarlton leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles19 records
Tarlton subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Tarlton funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Tarlton M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Tarlton
What does Tarlton do?
Tarlton is a general contractor and construction manager that delivers commercial, institutional, healthcare, education, industrial, energy, life-sciences, water and wastewater, and civil construction projects through preconstruction planning, design-build delivery, and full construction management. The firm self-performs more than 25% of its work with in-house crews covering concrete, millwright, steel erection, rigging, excavation, and finish carpentry, and is recognized for specialized concrete construction and historic renovation work in the U.S. Midwest.
Is Tarlton a public or private company?
Tarlton is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Tarlton founded?
Tarlton was founded in 1946. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Tarlton based?
Tarlton is headquartered in Saint Louis, United States, in the North America region.
How does Tarlton make money?
One revenue line is on record: general Contracting & Construction Management.
Who are Tarlton's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Gilbane Building Company, Mortenson Construction and Walsh Group. Direct peers are Clayco, Holder Construction, Paric Corporation, BSI Constructors, McCarthy Building Companies, Alberici Corporation and Barton Malow.
Does Tarlton have an API?
No public API is recorded for Tarlton.
What industry is Tarlton in?
Tarlton's product category is General Construction Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAFAAAI, Self-Performing General Contractors. Its SIC code is 1540.