SHELLY & SANDS

What SHELLY & SANDS does

SHELLY & SANDS, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned heavy civil construction contractor headquartered in Zanesville, Ohio, founded in 1944. The firm specializes in asphalt paving, road and highway construction, bridge building and repair, aggregate production, concrete production, and related civil infrastructure for state departments of transportation (primarily the Ohio Department of Transportation and West Virginia DOT), county engineers, municipal governments, and private commercial/industrial customers across Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Through its core operating subsidiary Mar-Zane Materials, the company operates 23+ asphalt plants, 2 concrete plants, and 9 aggregate operations producing over 3 million tons of asphalt and 200,000 cubic yards of concrete annually, supported by wholly-owned affiliates Kelly Paving (West Virginia), Mar-Zane Laboratory (quality assurance), and S&S Terminal (Ohio River liquid asphalt terminal).

The company generates revenue through competitive bidding on government infrastructure contracts and direct commercial work, with contract sizes ranging from emergency repair jobs under $2 million to major interstate reconstruction projects in the tens of millions (e.g., the $54 million I-71 reconstruction). It maintains a modern fleet including Vögele pavers, Hamm rollers, and Material Transfer Vehicles, and operates an in-house quality control laboratory capable of producing over 100 different asphalt mix designs to meet state DOT specifications. The firm claims to pave more roads in Ohio than any other contractor, a position reinforced by its 2019 Sheldon G. Hayes Award—the highest US highway pavement honor from the National Asphalt Pavement Association—for the I-77 project in Guernsey County.

Operationally, the business is vertically integrated: aggregate reserves (numbering thousands of acres) feed asphalt plants, which supply paving crews, reducing dependence on third-party material suppliers. The company is led by Chairman/CEO Clay P. Graham, President Cole J. Graham, COO Mike W. Cline, and Sr. VP Bryan H. Graham, suggesting third/fourth-generation family stewardship. There is no indication of institutional private equity ownership, public listing, or external venture funding; the firm appears to operate entirely on internally generated capital and project-based debt typical of heavy contractors.

Name

SHELLY & SANDS

Legal name

SHELLY & SANDS, Inc.

Website

https://shellyandsands.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1944

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

SHELLY & SANDS is a family-owned, Zanesville, Ohio-based heavy civil construction contractor founded in 1944, specializing in asphalt paving, aggregate production, bridge work, and concrete for state DOTs, municipalities, and commercial clients across Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Highway and Heavy Civil Construction

NAICS

Construction Sand and Gravel Mining (212321), Cement and Concrete Product Manufacturing (3273), Poured Concrete Foundation and Structure Contractors (23811)

SIC

Mining & Quarrying Of Nonmetallic Minerals (No Fuels) (1400), Construction - Special Trade Contractors (1700)

akta.pro primary industry

Construction Aggregates Mining & Processing (Sand, Gravel, Crushed Stone) (IMADAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sand & Gravel Extraction & Processing (IMAKAHAB), Rock Excavation, Blasting & Quarry-Assist Works (IMAFAKAE)

Keywords

• Asphalt paving services
• Highway construction
• Aggregate production
• Concrete construction
• Bridge construction

Headquarters

HQ city

Zanesville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices28 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Asphalt Paving Services: Primary revenue stream from asphalt paving construction including interstate highways, state routes, county roads, municipal streets, bicycle paths, and commercial/industrial projects. Revenue is project-based through competitive bidding on public and private contracts.
2. Aggregate Products: Mining and processing construction aggregates used in asphalt production, concrete, and direct sales. Six permanent aggregate plant locations plus portable facilities serving multiple states.
3. Asphalt Materials Sales: Hot mix asphalt, cold mix asphalt, liquid asphalt, dust palliatives, and asphalt emulsions sold from 23+ permanent and portable asphalt plants across Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.
4. Concrete Products: Over 200,000 cubic yards of concrete produced annually from two concrete plants.
5. Bridge Construction and Repair: Specialized bridge building and repair services including the Gaysport Bridge historic restoration project and emergency bridge repairs for ODOT.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SHELLY & SANDS, Inc. is an infrastructure construction contractor that performs highway, road, bridge, and concrete construction for government agencies and private commercial clients. Through its Mar-Zane Materials subsidiary, it also produces and sells hot mix asphalt, cold mix asphalt, liquid asphalt, asphalt emulsions, construction aggregates, and ready-mix concrete from 23+ asphalt plants, 2 concrete plants, and 9 aggregate operations across Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.

Product overview

SHELLY & SANDS is a construction and infrastructure company offering a complementary suite of aggregate and asphalt products and services. The core offering consists of asphalt paving services and construction aggregates, supported by affiliated brands Mar-Zane Materials (which operates 23 asphalt plants and 9 aggregate operations producing over 3 million asphalt tons annually), Kelly Paving (serving West Virginia), Mar-Zane Laboratory (quality testing), and S&S Terminal (liquid asphalt terminal operations). The company serves eight major markets across three states and specializes in infrastructure construction including highways, bridges, and multi-lane interstate projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Asphalt Paving Services Professional design, manufacture, and installation of asphalt pavements for commercial, industrial, or infrastructure needs in compliance with DOT, FAA, and private specifications, covering multi-lane interstate highway construction, highway widening, county and municipal roads, bicycle paths, sewer line installation, and bridge approaches.
• Mar-Zane Materials Asphalt Products Hot mix asphalt, cold mix asphalt, liquid asphalt, dust palliatives, and asphalt emulsions sold through 28 permanent and portable asphalt plants across Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and beyond, supplied to paving contractors and construction companies with annual production exceeding 3 million tons.
• Mar-Zane Materials Aggregate Products Construction aggregates produced at six permanent locations and numerous portable facilities, with mining experience in highwall, open pit strip, underground, and hydraulic dredging applications, sold to asphalt and concrete producers and direct construction users.
• Concrete Products Ready-mix concrete produced from two concrete plants operated by Mar-Zane Materials, generating over 200,000 cubic yards annually for infrastructure construction, bridge building, and large concrete projects across the firm's three-state service area.
• Bridge Construction and Repair Specialized bridge building, restoration, and emergency repair services including historic bridge restoration (e.g., Gaysport Bridge) and rapid-response emergency repairs for state DOTs and municipalities.
• Mar-Zane Laboratory Quality Control Testing In-house quality control and quality assurance testing services for construction materials, including mix design development and specification compliance testing, supporting Shelly & Sands paving operations and external customers.
• S&S Terminal Liquid Asphalt Operations Ohio River liquid asphalt terminal operations and asphalt emulsions production at the company's Rayland, OH facility, supporting terminal and bulk liquid asphalt distribution across the three-state service area.
• Kelly Paving Asphalt Paving Services Asphalt paving services delivered in the greater Parkersburg, West Virginia market through wholly owned affiliate Kelly Paving, Inc., providing local market coverage as part of Shelly & Sands' three-state service footprint.

Quantifiable outcome

• Received maximum smoothness bonus on I-71 project due to Vögele MTV equipment enabling densities above 94%
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary government client and strategic partner. Shelly & Sands serves as a major contractor for ODOT infrastructure projects including interstate reconstruction, highway widening, and bridge work. The company has worked with ODOT on pilot programs including thermal imaging camera testing for pavement quality monitoring. ODOT provides the majority of funding for infrastructure contracts including FEMA grants for municipal projects.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Shelly Company: Indiana-based asphalt paving and aggregate producer serving similar state DOT and commercial customers, with comparable vertically integrated plant network model. Comparable in size, quality awards history, and Midwest DOT-driven contract mix.
• The Ruhlin Company: Ohio-based heavy construction and bridge builder with aggregate and asphalt production, operating across the same ODOT, county, and municipal contract landscape as Shelly & Sands. Closely comparable in vertical integration and award-winning quality positioning.
• Kokosing Construction Company: Ohio-headquartered heavy/highway and civil construction contractor doing bridge, highway, and infrastructure work across the Midwest, with material production capabilities. Closest comparable in scale and geographic overlap, bidding on many of the same ODOT and municipal contracts.
• Barrett Industries: Ohio-based paving, construction, and aggregate company competing head-to-head for ODOT and municipal work in many of the same counties Shelly & Sands serves. Directly comparable vertically integrated model with similar plant footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Sterling Infrastructure: Specialty infrastructure services firm doing heavy civil, transportation, and infrastructure construction across multiple states. Comparable in highway/infrastructure scope but broader in services (also including building and solar).
• Martin Marietta Materials: National publicly traded aggregates and asphalt producer with significant Midwest U.S. presence, supplying DOT-grade mixes and aggregates. Comparable materials-side franchise and West Virginia/Ohio footprint, though broader and more aggregates-focused.
• Summit Materials: Aggregates-led, vertically integrated construction materials company with asphalt plant and paving operations across the Midwest, including Ohio, West Virginia, and adjacent geographies. Comparable vertical integration and customer base, though diversified across more states.
• Granite Construction Incorporated: National publicly traded heavy civil and transportation contractor with vertically integrated aggregate and asphalt production across multiple states. Comparable in materials-to-paving integration but with broader geographic diversification and significantly larger scale.
• Vulcan Materials Company: Largest U.S. producer of construction aggregates with significant asphalt mix operations across the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. Comparable in aggregate-asphalt integration but vastly larger, publicly traded, and more diversified geographically.
• Oldcastle Materials (CRH Americas Materials Solutions): North America's largest vertically integrated asphalt and aggregates producer under CRH, with extensive Ohio and Midwest plant network through brands like Mid Ohio Paving and Allied Custom Asphalt. Represents both direct competitive overlap and a logical eventual acquirer of regional players.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shelly-and-sands-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries4 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 SHELLY & SANDS