Clarkson Construction
Clarkson Construction is a sixth-generation, family-owned heavy civil contractor founded in 1880 and based in Kansas City, Missouri, delivering highway, bridge, site development, and design-build infrastructure projects for government agencies and private developers across the Midwest.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1880
- HeadquartersKansas City, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Clarkson Construction does
Clarkson Construction Company is a sixth-generation, family-owned heavy civil contractor founded in 1880 and headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. The company delivers infrastructure projects across the Midwest — primarily Missouri and Kansas — through three core service lines: highways and bridges, site development, and integrated design-build delivery. Capabilities extend to rail construction, environmental remediation, diverging diamond interchanges, and athletic field construction, supported by a heavy equipment fleet, self-performed crews, and three operating locations (Kansas City headquarters, Kansas City shop/field office, and the Truesdale/St. Louis regional office).
Clarkson's revenue is generated through project-based fixed-price and design-build contracts awarded via competitive bidding and qualifications-based procurement with government agencies (chiefly the Missouri Department of Transportation, Kansas City Aviation Department, and municipal owners) as well as private developers (e.g., One North Development, City of Edgerton) and Class I railroads (BNSF). The go-to-market is enterprise field sales — securing work through agency relationships, joint ventures, and design-build teams. Notable delivered and active programs include the $1.5 billion Kansas City International Airport New Terminal (Clark | Weitz | Clarkson JV, completed February 2023), the $220 million Buck O'Neil Memorial Bridge (Massman-Clarkson JV, December 2024), the $237 million Improve I-70 Kansas City (Clarkson-Radmacher JV), and the $1.8 billion Improve I-70 Warrenton to Wentzville.
The business is sustained by deep community and industry relationships, an award-winning safety culture (national AGC Construction Safety Excellence Award, 2026), MBE/WBE contractor development, and repeat contract awards on MoDOT's largest corridor programs. Clarkson operates as a privately held entity with no institutional investors and pursues a conservative, multi-generational ownership strategy, with current President Billy Clarkson representing the sixth generation of family leadership.
Clarkson Construction firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Clarkson Construction
- Legal name
- Clarkson Construction Company
- Website
- https://clarksonconstruction.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1880
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Clarkson Construction is a sixth-generation, family-owned heavy civil contractor founded in 1880 and based in Kansas City, Missouri, delivering highway, bridge, site development, and design-build infrastructure projects for government agencies and private developers across the Midwest.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Clarkson Construction industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Heavy Civil Construction
- NAICS
- Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction (237310), Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction (237), Industrial Building Construction (23621)
- SIC
- Heavy Construction Other Than Bldg Const - Contractors (1600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Bridge & Viaduct Construction (IMAFAEAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Public Works General Contracting (IMAFAAAG), Interchanges, Ramps & Flyovers Construction (IMAFAEAD), Airport Terminal & Aviation Facilities Building Construction (IMAFACAL)
Keywords
Where Clarkson Construction is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kansas City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Clarkson Construction business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Construction Project Contracts: Clarkson generates revenue through fixed-price construction contracts for government agencies (MoDOT, municipalities) and private developers. Revenue is project-based, one-time, and earned as work progresses on infrastructure projects including highways, bridges, airports, and site development.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Clarkson Construction product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Clarkson Construction is a heavy civil contractor delivering highway and bridge construction, site development, design-build delivery, rail construction, athletic fields, environmental remediation, and diverging diamond interchange projects. Projects are awarded primarily through competitive bidding and qualifications-based procurement to government transportation agencies and private developers. Notable project work has included the $1.5B Kansas City International Airport New Terminal and the $220M Buck O'Neil Memorial Bridge replacement.
Product overview
Clarkson Construction is a sixth-generation, family-owned heavy civil construction company founded in 1880, specializing in infrastructure development across the Midwest. The company operates as a unified construction services provider rather than a software product company, offering highway and bridge construction, site development, design-build delivery, rail construction, athletic fields, environmental remediation, and diverging diamond interchange services. Notable projects include the $1.5 billion KCI New Terminal, $220 million Buck O'Neil Memorial Bridge, and ongoing Improve I-70 Kansas City ($237M) and Improve I-70 Warrenton to Wentzville projects. The company maintains joint ventures with Massman, Radmacher, and Clark/Weitz for large-scale infrastructure delivery.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Highways & Bridges Construction Heavy civil construction services for highway and bridge projects including new construction, replacement, rehabilitation, and maintenance of interstate, highway, and local road bridges, delivered for government transportation agencies and private developers in the Midwest.
- Site Development Comprehensive site development services including grading, utility infrastructure installation, and site preparation for commercial, residential, and industrial projects.
- Design-Build Services Integrated design-build delivery services combining engineering design and construction under single-point contractual responsibility for infrastructure projects, including traditional design-build and progressive design-build methods.
- Rail Construction Rail infrastructure construction including railroad bridges, grade separations, track embankments, and intermodal facility site work for railroad clients such as BNSF Railway.
- Athletic Fields Construction Construction of athletic fields and sports complexes including stadiums, soccer complexes, and multi-sport facilities, exemplified by the Sporting Kansas City Stadium project.
- Environmental Remediation Environmental remediation services including ash pond closure, power plant remediation, and hazardous material removal for utility, industrial, and government clients.
- Diverging Diamond Interchange Construction Specialized construction of diverging diamond interchanges to improve traffic flow and safety at high-volume highway intersections, as delivered on the Johnson County Gateway Phase 2 project.
Quantifiable outcome
- Exceeded MBE participation goals (25.4% MBE / 18.7% WBE) on KCI New Terminal Project
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Clarkson Construction
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Clarkson Construction technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Clarkson Construction partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.
- RadmachercoreClarkson-Radmacher Joint Venture (CRJV) partnership for major infrastructure projects including the Improve I-70 Kansas City project ($237M budget) and Improve I-70 Warrenton to Wentzville project (largest in MoDOT history). Joint venture team handles design-build delivery with shared responsibilities for project execution.
- Clark | Weitz | Clarkson Joint VenturecoreJoint venture partnership for the $1.5B Kansas City International Airport New Terminal Project. Clarkson was part of the construction team delivering the single largest infrastructure project in Kansas City's history, delivered ahead of schedule and on budget in February 2023.
- Massman-Clarkson Joint VenturecoreMassman-Clarkson Joint Venture delivered the $220M John J. Buck O'Neil Memorial Bridge replacement project. The partnership combined Massman's bridge expertise with Clarkson's local knowledge and heavy civil capabilities.
- HDRstrategicDesign-build partnership on the $30M Waverly Road project for City of Edgerton, Kansas. HDR provided engineering design services while Clarkson led construction delivery. The partnership had previously worked together on other projects.
- Edgemoor Infrastructure & Real EstatecoreProject developer for KCI New Terminal Project. Edgemoor led development while Clarkson was part of the Clark | Weitz | Clarkson joint venture for construction delivery.
- MoDOT Kansas CitycoreMissouri Department of Transportation as project owner for Improve I-70 KC and other infrastructure projects. Clarkson-Radmacher Joint Venture works with MoDOT on major corridor improvements.
- TREKKstrategicProject partner on Improve I-70 KC Summer Intern Summit and project coordination. TREKK is part of the project team alongside Clarkson-Radmacher and HNTB.
- HNTBstrategicEngineering and design partner on Improve I-70 KC project. HNTB works alongside Clarkson-Radmacher Joint Venture and TREKK on the $237M infrastructure improvement.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Clarkson Construction competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Granite Construction: Publicly-traded national heavy civil contractor with extensive bridge, highway, and rail capabilities across multiple regions. Larger and more diversified than Clarkson, but overlaps on design-build transportation pursuits in the Midwest.
- Kiewit Corporation: One of North America's largest employee-owned heavy civil and construction firms. Competes for the largest infrastructure projects nationwide, including bridges, highways, and airports that overlap with Clarkson's largest pursuits.
- Walsh Construction: Chicago-based national heavy civil and building contractor with deep Midwest presence and bridge/highway capability. Larger and broader than Clarkson but directly competes on large bridge and corridor pursuits in the same region.
Direct peers
- Emery Sapp & Sons: Midwest-based heavy civil contractor headquartered in Columbia, MO with similar scope across site development, highways, bridges, and utility work. Competes with Clarkson on Missouri DOT and private developer bids.
- Radmacher Brothers Excavating: Missouri heavy civil site development and highway contractor; JV partner with Clarkson in the Clarkson-Radmacher Joint Venture (CRJV) pursuing the $237M Improve I-70 KC and other MoDOT mega-projects. Same geography and customer base.
- Ideker Construction: Missouri-headquartered heavy highway and bridge contractor. Competes with Clarkson for MoDOT and Midwest municipal projects across a similar scope of bridge replacement, grading, and paving.
- Massman Construction Co. Kansas City-based heavy civil contractor specializing in bridge, highway, and marine construction; longtime Clarkson JV partner on the $220M Buck O'Neil Bridge. Directly comparable in geography, customer base (MoDOT, USACE), and project mix.
- Herzog Contracting Corp: St. Joseph, MO-based heavy civil and rail contractor with comparable highway, bridge, and rail infrastructure scope. Operates in overlapping Midwest geographies with similar government and railroad customer mix.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Clarkson Construction social profiles
Digital presenceClarkson Construction financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Clarkson Construction leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Clarkson Construction subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
Clarkson Construction funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Clarkson Construction M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments2 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Clarkson Construction
What does Clarkson Construction do?
Clarkson Construction is a heavy civil contractor delivering highway and bridge construction, site development, design-build delivery, rail construction, athletic fields, environmental remediation, and diverging diamond interchange projects. Projects are awarded primarily through competitive bidding and qualifications-based procurement to government transportation agencies and private developers. Notable project work has included the $1.5B Kansas City International Airport New Terminal and the $220M Buck O'Neil Memorial Bridge replacement.
Is Clarkson Construction a public or private company?
Clarkson Construction is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Clarkson Construction founded?
Clarkson Construction was founded in 1880. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Clarkson Construction based?
Clarkson Construction is headquartered in Kansas City, United States, in the North America region.
How does Clarkson Construction make money?
One revenue line is on record: construction Project Contracts.
Who are Clarkson Construction's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Granite Construction, Kiewit Corporation and Walsh Construction. Direct peers are Emery Sapp & Sons, Radmacher Brothers Excavating, Ideker Construction, Massman Construction Co. and Herzog Contracting Corp.
Does Clarkson Construction have an API?
No public API is recorded for Clarkson Construction.
What industry is Clarkson Construction in?
Clarkson Construction's product category is Heavy Civil Construction. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAFAEAB, Bridge & Viaduct Construction, with a secondary code of IMAFAAAG, Public Works General Contracting. Its NAICS code is 237310 and its SIC code is 1600.