Joseph J. Henderson & Son

What Joseph J. Henderson & Son does

Joseph J. Henderson & Son, Inc. (JJH) is a family-owned commercial general contracting firm founded in 1928 and headquartered in Gurnee, Illinois. The company delivers construction services across northern Illinois — particularly Lake, McHenry, DuPage, Will, Kane, and Cook counties — with select out-of-state federal and military projects in Texas, Kansas, Montana, Iowa, and Wisconsin. JJH employs approximately 1,723 workers including skilled union craftsmen and serves municipal, federal/military, educational, healthcare, water/wastewater, and commercial clients.

The firm's service portfolio includes general contracting, self-performed work (concrete, carpentry, millwright, demolition, steel erection, excavation, and mechanical piping), construction management, design-build, mechanical piping, and excavation. JJH operates as a self-performing general contractor, using its own union workforce rather than outsourcing all trade work. The company employs Building Information Modeling (BIM) and on-site laser scanning technology for pre-construction planning and precision field measurement, integrated into standard CAD/3D model workflows. Revenue is generated through competitive bidding on public and private sector RFPs, with contract values ranging from approximately $128,000 (small tenant build-outs) to over $28 million (College of Lake County) and $43+ million for major wastewater treatment facilities.

JJH's go-to-market is sales-led, centered on its estimating department's responses to public RFPs and competitive bids. The firm holds $200 million in aggregate bonding capacity and reports 1,357 completed projects and 169 satisfied clients over its 96-year history. Its customer base is anchored by federal agencies (NAVFAC, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers), municipal governments (Village of Deerfield, Lake County), educational institutions (College of Lake County), healthcare systems, and private commercial clients (Tractor Supply Co., Six Flags). The company is currently led by third-generation President David A. Henderson.

Name

Joseph J. Henderson & Son

Legal name

Joseph J. Henderson & Son, Inc.

Website

https://jjhenderson.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1928

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Joseph J. Henderson & Son is a family-owned (since 1928, third generation) commercial general contracting firm based in Gurnee, Illinois, delivering general contracting, construction management, design-build, self-performed trades, mechanical piping, and excavation for municipal, federal/military, educational, healthcare, water/wastewater, and commercial clients across northern Illinois.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Gurnee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. General Contracting Services: One-time project-based revenue from construction contracts for commercial, educational, healthcare, federal/military, and water/wastewater treatment projects. Revenue is earned through competitive bidding on public and private sector projects.
2. Construction Management Services: Fee-based construction management services where JJH oversees construction and management of subcontractors while acting as owner's representative.
3. Design-Build Services: Single-source responsibility design-build delivery method providing cost control and added value to clients.
4. Self-Performed Mechanical Piping: Self-performed mechanical piping installation services for commercial and industrial sectors, partnering with Pipefitters Local 597.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Joseph J. Henderson & Son, Inc. is a family-owned commercial general contracting firm providing full-service construction delivery including general contracting, construction management, design build, mechanical piping, excavation, and self-performed trade work (concrete, carpentry, millwright, demolition, steel erection) for commercial, educational, healthcare, federal/military, and water/wastewater treatment projects across northern Illinois.

Product overview

Joseph J. Henderson & Son, Inc. (JJH) is a family-owned commercial general contracting firm established in 1928, offering a unified suite of construction services rather than a software product platform. The company's service portfolio centers on six core offerings: General Contracting (full project management), Self Performed Work (union craftsmen for concrete, carpentry, millwright, demolition, steel erection, excavation, mechanical piping), Construction Management (owner representation and subcontractor oversight), Mechanical Piping (commercial/industrial pipe installations via Pipefitters Local 597 partnership), Design Build (single-source responsibility delivery), and Excavation (site work and earthmoving). JJH specializes in project categories including Architectural, Educational, Federal & Military, Health Care, and Water Treatment facilities across northern Illinois.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• General Contracting Full construction process management where JJH takes charge of the project from start to finish, delivering a comprehensive approach to ensure client goals are reached. Offered to commercial, institutional, and government clients in northern Illinois.
• Self-Performed Work Self-performance of concrete, carpentry, millwright, selective demolition, steel erection, excavation, mechanical piping installation, and labor using highly skilled union craftsmen, enabling competitive pricing and better safety and quality control.
• Construction Management Professional oversight of construction and subcontractors with cost control and risk minimization while acting as the owner's representative from beginning to completion of a project, allowing clients to retain preferred subcontractors.
• Mechanical Piping Mechanical piping installations for commercial and industrial sectors, partnering with Pipefitters Association Local 597 as a signatory contractor to provide highly trained tradespeople for projects large and small, on time and on budget.
• Design Build Design-build delivery method providing single-source responsibility, team dynamics, cost control, and added value to create successful projects focused on client satisfaction.
• Excavation Commercial excavation services in the Chicagoland area including site clearing and preparation, building excavation, backfill and compaction, and final grading, delivered with experienced crews, the right equipment, and supporting technology.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1357 projects completed
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Pipefitters Association Local 597coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJJH is signatory with Pipefitters Local 597 as a contractor partner. The partnership provides access to the best trained and most productive pipefitter tradespeople in the marketplace for mechanical piping installations in commercial and industrial sectors.
• Construction Industry Service Corporation (CISCO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJJH is a proud supporter of CISCO which promotes union construction, contractors, and apprenticeship programs throughout northeast Illinois.
• Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJJH is committed to maximizing opportunities for DBE participation including Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Minority Institutions, HUBZone, MBE, SDVOSB, WBE, and other diversity program participants.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pepper Construction Group: Chicago-based, family-influenced commercial general contractor of similar scale serving the same Chicagoland municipal, healthcare, education, and commercial markets. Directly comparable in self-perform capabilities, bonding capacity tier, and project mix.
• Walsh Construction: Chicago-based division of The Walsh Group with strong water/wastewater treatment, federal/military, and commercial building practices. Comparable regional footprint and overlapping federal contracting credentials with USACE/NAVFAC.
• Bulley & Andrews: Long-standing Chicago-based general contractor with comparable heritage (founded 1891), self-perform concrete/masonry capabilities, and concentration in commercial, institutional, and healthcare construction across the same Chicagoland geography.
• Power Construction: Family-owned Chicago general contractor of similar scale, serving commercial, healthcare, education, and municipal clients with a comparable self-perform trade strategy and Chicagoland regional focus.
• McCarthy Building Companies: National employee-owned general contractor with a particularly strong water/wastewater treatment, federal, and healthcare practice. Closest peer on the technical water infrastructure specialty and federal contracting experience.
• W.E. O'Neil Construction: Chicago-based family-influenced general contractor of similar scale with strong commercial, education, and tenant improvement practices. Comparable regional focus and mid-market project size profile.

Broad incumbents

• Clark Construction Group: Larger national general contractor with deep federal/military and water infrastructure experience. Competes with JJH on federal bids but operates at a meaningfully larger scale with broader geographic reach.
• Gilbane Building Company: Family-founded national construction manager and general contractor with strong federal, healthcare, and education practices. Overlaps with JJH in federal work and self-perform trade capabilities but at greater scale.
• Turner Construction Company: Largest domestic general contractor in the U.S. with significant Chicago presence. Competes on larger commercial, healthcare, and education projects where JJH's $200M bonding cap becomes a constraint.
• Mortenson Construction: National employee-owned general contractor with strong federal, healthcare, and renewable/water infrastructure practices. Competes with JJH for federal water/wastewater and military housing work across multiple geographies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Joseph J. Henderson & Son