Nicholson Construction

What Nicholson Construction does

Nicholson Construction Company is a U.S. specialty geotechnical contractor founded in 1954 and headquartered in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. The firm designs and builds deep foundations, earth retention systems, ground treatment solutions, and tunneling infrastructure for public and private owners. Its customer base is concentrated in government and municipal clients — including U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, multiple state DOTs (Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Michigan), and water/sewer authorities (Miami-Dade, Tulsa, NEORSD) — with a smaller private-sector presence in mining (Rio Tinto Kennecott) and sports infrastructure (Comerica Park).

The company operates across four industry verticals — Water, Energy, Buildings/Industrial, and Transportation — and delivers three core product lines: deep foundation elements (drilled shafts, micropiles, augercast piles), earth retention systems (soil nail walls, secant piles, diaphragm walls), and ground treatment (chemical grouting, rock mass grouting). Notable technical capabilities include Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) operations through porous geological formations, post-tensioned strand anchor installation for dam rehabilitation, and high-depth secant pile work (180–230 feet). Design-build delivery is offered alongside traditional general-contractor and specialty-subcontractor roles.

Nicholson generates revenue primarily through project-based, competitively bid contracts, ranging from roughly $2M (school seismic retrofits) to $72.1M (Miami-Dade Norris Cut tunnel). It pursues large work both independently and via joint ventures with peers such as Treviicos, Kraemer, Kuney, Menard, and sister companies within the Soletanche Bachy family (Bessac, Berminghammer). Nicholson is the North American subsidiary of Soletanche Bachy, a French-headquartered global leader in foundations and soil technologies, which provides access to international technical resources and capital backing; the company does not appear to raise external institutional funding.

Name

Nicholson Construction

Legal name

Nicholson Construction Company

Website

https://nicholsonconstruction.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Nicholson Construction is a U.S. specialty geotechnical contractor that designs and installs deep foundations, earth retention systems, and ground treatment solutions for public infrastructure projects (dams, tunnels, bridges, water systems). It is the North American subsidiary of Soletanche Bachy and serves government and private clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Geotechnical Construction Services: Nicholson generates revenue through design-build and construction contracts for geotechnical projects, operating as either general contractor or specialist subcontractor. Projects include deep foundations, earth retention systems, ground treatment, tunneling, and dam rehabilitation work. Revenue is project-based, typically awarded through competitive bidding on infrastructure projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Nicholson Construction is a geotechnical specialty contractor providing design-build services for deep foundations, earth retention systems, ground treatment, and tunneling solutions. The company delivers integrated geotechnical construction for critical infrastructure projects in the water, energy, buildings/industrial, and transportation sectors, working as either general contractor or specialist subcontractor.

Product overview

Nicholson Construction is a geotechnical specialty contractor offering a comprehensive portfolio of foundation and soil technologies. The company operates as a single unified service offering with four core product lines: deep foundation elements (drilled shafts, micropiles, augercast piles), earth retention systems (soil nail walls, secant piles, diaphragm walls), and ground treatment solutions (chemical grouting, rock mass grouting). These are delivered through design-build project delivery across four industry verticals: Water, Energy, Buildings/Industrial, and Transportation. Specialized techniques include post-tensioned strand anchor installation, tunnel boring machine (TBM) services, and secant pile installation. The company is the North American subsidiary of Soletanche Bachy, backed by nearly 100 years of technical experience.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Deep Foundation Elements
• Earth Retention Systems
• Ground Treatment Solutions
• Design-Build Project Delivery
• Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) Tunnel Construction
• Dam Rehabilitation and Post-Tensioned Strand Anchor Installation

Quantifiable outcome

• Norris Cut Project benchmarked underground activity in Florida by opening new solutions for deep sewers in the porous Fort Thompson geological formation
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• TreviicoscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 July 2025Treviicos-Nicholson Joint Venture (TNJV) formed to construct the Hoboken Shaft for the Hudson Tunnel Project. TNJV will perform Diaphragm Wall installation and Rock Mass Grouting for this critical 9-mile passenger rail tunnel between New York and New Jersey. The partnership combines specialized tunneling expertise for technically complex underground construction.
• Kuney ConstructioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 March 2025Nicholson Construction, in Joint Venture with Kuney Construction, awarded Priest Rapids Dam Spillway Stability Improvement Project. This joint venture combines capabilities for dam safety work.
• BerminghammercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 January 2023North American sister companies Nicholson Construction and Berminghammer joined forces for Virginia's River Renew Project, combining specialized equipment and expertise.
• KraemercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 March 2020Kraemer/Nicholson Joint Venture awarded $64 million contract for Minnesota DOT's I-35 CMGC Stormwater Storage Facility Project. Partnership enabled pursuit of large-scale transportation infrastructure project.
• BessaccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Sister company Bessac served as tunnel construction manager for the $72.1 million Norris Cut project in Miami. The partnership enabled innovative solutions combining pipe jacking and universal segments with ground treatment from TBM for challenging Fort Thompson geological formation.
• Salini Impregilo Haealy JVmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeneral contractor for the Dugway Storage Tunnel project for which Nicholson installed secant piles as temporary support of excavation. Nicholson worked as specialty subcontractor on this NEORSD project.
• MenardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNicholson and Menard have partnered on multiple projects including Harlem River Drive in NYC and Grand Rapids' Biodigester Project, combining specialized geotechnical capabilities.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Hayward Baker: Sister company under Soletanche Bachy and the most directly comparable North American specialty geotechnical contractor. Offers overlapping deep foundation, earth retention, and ground treatment services to similar public-sector and private infrastructure customers.
• Menard USA: Sister company under Soletanche Bachy specializing in ground improvement and geotechnical construction. Directly comparable on transportation, industrial, and energy projects where Nicholson and Menard have partnered (e.g., Harlem River Drive, Grand Rapids Biodigester).
• Bauer Foundation Corp: U.S. arm of Germany's Bauer Group, a global foundation specialist competing on drilled shafts, secant piles, diaphragm walls, and cut-off walls. Directly comparable in specialty foundation methods and complex ground conditions.
• Berkel & Company Contractors: Specialty geotechnical and piling contractor offering augercast piles, drilled shafts, micropiles, and ground improvement — closely overlapping Nicholson's deep foundation portfolio for commercial, industrial, and transportation clients.
• Malcolm Drilling Company: Specialty deep foundation contractor with drilled shafts, micropiles, ground anchors, and earth retention services. Directly comparable on urban infrastructure, transportation, and water/wastewater foundation scopes.
• Case Foundation Company: Specialty foundation contractor focused on drilled shafts, micropiles, augercast piles, and earth retention. Competes head-to-head with Nicholson on transportation, bridge, and heavy civil projects across the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic.
• Bencor Corporation: Specialty foundation contractor delivering drilled shafts, slurry walls, ground anchors, and ground improvement. Comparable to Nicholson on heavy civil infrastructure and water/wastewater tunneling projects.
• Treviicos: Sister company under Soletanche Bachy's parent network providing specialty foundation and ground engineering services in North America. Recently partnered with Nicholson on the Hudson Tunnel Project, indicating highly overlapping capabilities.
• Richard Goettle: Sister company under Soletanche Bachy's North American family delivering drilled shafts, earth retention, and ground improvement. Directly comparable on commercial, industrial, and infrastructure foundation scopes.

Broad incumbents

• Skanska USA Civil: Major civil infrastructure contractor that self-performs significant foundation and ground improvement work as part of larger heavy civil pursuits (transit, highways, bridges). Overlaps with Nicholson on transportation and tunneling scopes but operates at much larger scale and project size.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nicholson-construction
• Xx.com/nicholsonconst
• Facebookfacebook.com/nicholsonconstruction

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Nicholson Construction