Affholder
Affholder, LLC is a U.S. underground construction firm specializing in large-diameter tunneling, shaft excavation, shotcrete, and sliplining services for municipal water and sewer infrastructure projects, headquartered in O'Fallon, Missouri with regional offices in California, Georgia, and Washington D.C.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1968
- HeadquartersO'fallon, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Affholder does
Affholder, LLC is a privately held U.S. underground construction firm specializing in large-diameter tunneling, shaft excavation, shotcrete application, and sliplining pipe rehabilitation for water and wastewater infrastructure. The company traces its lineage to founder Bob Affholder's entry into underground construction in 1958 and the founding of Affholder Inc. in 1968; the current Affholder entity was formed as the tunneling division of SAK Construction and subsequently rebranded under the Affholder name. Operations are headquartered in O'Fallon, Missouri, with regional offices in California, Georgia, and the Washington D.C. area to support projects across the United States.
The company's core technology stack is centered on physical underground construction methods, including slurry pressure balance and earth pressure balance tunnel-boring machines, single and double shield TBMs, drill-and-blast, hand-mined excavation, high-pressure shotcrete application, and trenchless sliplining using hydraulic jacks. Affholder has executed projects ranging from 4-foot to 32-foot diameter tunnels across soft-ground, soft-rock, hard-rock, and hand-mined conditions, with depth records exceeding 200 feet. Documented project outcomes include zero surface settlement on EPBM work, subsurface settlements measured in hundredths of an inch, and water inflows under 10 gpm.
Affholder operates a project-based business model, generating revenue through one-time construction contracts awarded via competitive bidding by municipal water and sewer districts, utilities, and government entities. Pricing is determined by project-specific factors (diameter, length, ground conditions, access requirements) rather than published rate cards, and contracts typically run on multi-year durations (24-36+ months). The customer base is concentrated in U.S. municipal water/sewer infrastructure, with named projects for MSD, WSSC, SAWS, and the City of Austin, frequently delivered through joint ventures with peer contractors such as Oscar Renda, Southland Contracting, W.A. Rasic, and Quest Civil Constructors.
Affholder firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Affholder
- Legal name
- Affholder, LLC
- Website
- https://affholder.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1968
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Affholder, LLC is a U.S. underground construction firm specializing in large-diameter tunneling, shaft excavation, shotcrete, and sliplining services for municipal water and sewer infrastructure projects, headquartered in O'Fallon, Missouri with regional offices in California, Georgia, and Washington D.C.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Affholder industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Underground Construction Services
- NAICS
- Water and Sewer Line and Related Structures Construction (23711), Utility System Construction (2371)
- SIC
- Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Water & Wastewater Pipeline Construction (Mains, Force Mains, Interceptors) (IMAFAGAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Storage & Conveyance Structures (Reservoirs, Tanks, Culverts, Tunnels) (IMAFAGAE), Water Conveyance Tunnels & Large-Diameter Pressure Mains (Long-Distance) (TLAGAHAI)
Keywords
Where Affholder is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- O'fallon
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Affholder business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Large-Diameter Tunneling Services: Project-based revenue from excavating tunnels for municipal water, sanitary, and stormwater pipelines. Projects range from 4-foot to 32-foot diameter tunnels in various ground conditions.
- Shaft Excavation Services: Construction of temporary or permanent vertical access points for tunneling, ventilation, elevator access, utility pipelines, and underground storage.
- Shotcrete Application: Versatile concrete application service for tunnel construction, pipeline rehabilitation, soil stabilization, and culvert repair.
- Sliplining Services: Trenchless pipe rehabilitation inserting new pipes inside existing deteriorating host pipes for sewer infrastructure renewal.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Project-based construction services |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Affholder product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Affholder provides underground construction services for water and sewer infrastructure, including large-diameter tunneling (4-foot to 32-foot), shotcrete application, sliplining pipe rehabilitation, and shaft excavation. Services are delivered to municipal water/sewer districts, utilities, and industrial clients through project-based contracts awarded via competitive bidding.
Product overview
AFFHOLDER is a water infrastructure services company offering a unified suite of underground construction solutions. The core offerings consist of four specialized services: Tunneling Services (large-diameter tunneling from 4-foot to 32-foot arch-shaped tunnels across all ground conditions), Shotcrete Services (high-pressure concrete application for tunnel construction and pipeline rehabilitation), Sliplining Services (trenchless pipe rehabilitation inserting new pipe inside existing infrastructure), and Shaft Excavation Services (vertical underground access construction). The company also provides a Virtual Tunnel Tour feature using virtual reality technology. These services are delivered through traditional and cutting-edge technologies to support the expanding, rebuilding, and maintaining of America's water infrastructure, serving municipal, energy, and industrial sectors.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Tunneling Services Large-diameter tunneling services ranging from 4-foot to 32-foot arch-shaped SEM tunnels in all ground conditions (soft-ground, soft-rock, hard-rock, and hand-mined), using slurry pressure balance TBMs, earth pressure balance machines, single/double shield TBMs, drill-and-blast, and open main beam techniques. Provided to municipal water/sewer districts and government entities.
- Shotcrete Services High-pressure concrete application through a hose for tunnel construction, pipeline rehabilitation, soil stabilization, and culvert repair. Provides high strength, durability, and quick application for complex and irregular shapes, applicable in wet conditions and underwater.
- Sliplining Services Cost-effective trenchless large-diameter pipe rehabilitation that inserts a new, smaller diameter pipe inside an existing failing pipe using hydraulic jacks from access pits, creating a new pipeline within the old one with minimal excavation required.
- Shaft Excavation Services Excavation and construction of shafts for tunneling, ventilation, elevator access, utility pipelines, and underground storage, employing conventional excavation, sheet piling, caissons, mechanical excavation, and drilling and blasting methods depending on ground conditions.
Quantifiable outcome
- Tunnel projects ranging from 4-foot to 32-foot diameter completed successfully
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Affholder
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Affholder technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Affholder partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.
- SAK ConstructioncoreSAK Construction is the parent company from which Affholder was formerly the tunneling division. Affholder was recently christened under its new name (formerly the tunneling division of SAK). Jerry Shaw and Tom Kalishman reunited with Bob Affholder at SAK Construction in 2007 before the Affholder company was established as a separate entity. Companies share leadership and operational synergies.
- PipenologyminorAffiliated company under the SAK Companies umbrella, providing complementary pipe rehabilitation and engineering services.
- Quest Civil Constructors, Inc.majorJoint venture partnership for Downtown Wastewater Tunnel project in Austin, TX. SAK/Affholder combined with Quest Civil Constructors to deliver 19,950 linear feet of tunnel construction.
- Oscar Renda Contracting, Inc.majorJoint venture with Oscar Renda Contracting and Southland Contracting for Bi-County Water Tunnel project in Maryland. Three-party JV to excavate 5.3 miles of tunnel for Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission.
- Southland Contracting, Inc.majorJoint venture partner in Bi-County Water Tunnel project in Maryland, combining expertise for large-scale tunnel excavation through competent bedrock.
- W.A. Rasic Construction CompanymajorJoint venture partnership for River Supply Conduit Improvement project in North Hollywood, CA. W.A. Rasic and SAK Construction joint venture to excavate 10,364 linear feet of tunnel.
- Bates Utility CompanyminorSAK was subcontracted by Bates Utility Company for Manchester Avenue Combined Sewer Relief Project in St. Louis. SAK performed tunnel construction work as subcontractor.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Affholder competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- SAK Construction: Parent/affiliate within SAK Companies; provides trenchless sewer and pipeline rehabilitation. Shares founding leadership with Affholder and operates in the same municipal water/sewer market with overlapping technologies (CIPP, sliplining).
- Oscar Renda Contracting: Water/wastewater infrastructure contractor; Affholder's JV partner on the WSSC Bi-County Water Tunnel. Comparable in project scope, municipal client base, and large-diameter tunnel execution.
- W.A. Rasic Construction Company: Underground utility and tunneling contractor; Affholder's JV partner on the River Supply Conduit in North Hollywood. Comparable in large-diameter soft-ground tunneling for municipal water systems.
- Southland Contracting, Inc. Heavy civil tunnel contractor; Affholder's JV partner on the WSSC Bi-County Water Tunnel. Comparable in rock tunneling capability and water/wastewater infrastructure delivery.
- Quest Civil Constructors: Civil infrastructure contractor; Affholder's JV partner on the City of Austin Downtown Wastewater Tunnel. Comparable in soft-ground and rock tunnel construction for municipal sewer projects.
Broad incumbents
- Aegion Corporation: The successor to Insituform Technologies (where Affholder's founder served as Vice Chairman); a large publicly-traded infrastructure services company specializing in pipeline rehabilitation and corrosion protection. Comparable trenchless technology heritage and municipal customer base.
- Michels Corporation: One of the largest North American infrastructure contractors; provides tunneling, pipeline construction, and direct pipe installation for water/sewer markets. Comparable in scale of large-diameter tunneling projects and municipal customer focus.
- Traylor Construction Group: Heavy civil and underground construction contractor with deep tunneling expertise; comparable in delivering large-diameter soft-ground and rock tunnels for water/wastewater conveyance projects.
- The Lane Construction Corporation: Major US heavy civil contractor with a tunneling division; comparable in large-diameter tunnel delivery for water/sewer infrastructure, often competing on the same municipal bids.
Regional players
- Ballard Marine Construction: Specialty tunnel and marine infrastructure contractor with comparable tunneling expertise in challenging ground conditions, though focused on hydroelectric and water conveyance markets that overlap with Affholder's municipal tunneling work.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Affholder social profiles
Digital presenceAffholder financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Affholder leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Affholder funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Affholder M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Affholder
What does Affholder do?
Affholder provides underground construction services for water and sewer infrastructure, including large-diameter tunneling (4-foot to 32-foot), shotcrete application, sliplining pipe rehabilitation, and shaft excavation. Services are delivered to municipal water/sewer districts, utilities, and industrial clients through project-based contracts awarded via competitive bidding.
Is Affholder a public or private company?
Affholder is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Affholder founded?
Affholder was founded in 1968. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Affholder based?
Affholder is headquartered in O'fallon, United States, in the North America region.
How does Affholder make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Large-Diameter Tunneling Services are the primary driver. The others are shaft Excavation Services, shotcrete Application and sliplining Services.
Who are Affholder's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are SAK Construction, Oscar Renda Contracting, W.A. Rasic Construction Company, Southland Contracting, Inc. and Quest Civil Constructors. Broad incumbents are Aegion Corporation, Michels Corporation, Traylor Construction Group and The Lane Construction Corporation. Ballard Marine Construction is listed as a regional player.
Does Affholder have an API?
No public API is recorded for Affholder.
What industry is Affholder in?
Affholder's product category is Underground Construction Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAFAGAC, Water & Wastewater Pipeline Construction (Mains, Force Mains, Interceptors), with a secondary code of IMAFAGAE, Storage & Conveyance Structures (Reservoirs, Tanks, Culverts, Tunnels). Its NAICS code is 23711 and its SIC code is 1623.