Smith-Rowe
Smith-Rowe is a family-owned heavy civil construction company headquartered in Mt. Airy, NC, providing bridge, grading, demolition, marine, utility, signage, and related infrastructure services primarily to NCDOT, municipal governments, and private developers across the Carolinas and Southeast US.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1983
- HeadquartersMount Airy, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Smith-Rowe does
Smith-Rowe is a family-owned heavy civil construction company founded in 1983 in Mt. Airy, North Carolina, operating as Smith-Rowe, LLC. The company executes a multi-discipline construction portfolio that originated in bridge building (over 500 bridges completed since inception) and has expanded into grading and site development, utility and storm drain installation, demolition with on-site concrete and rock crushing, marine construction via its wholly-owned subsidiary Intercoastal Marine, LLC, retaining and sound walls, highway signage, concrete saw cutting, culvert structures, and forestry and clearing. Notable technical differentiators include a fleet of over 1,000 pieces of equipment and specialty attachments (41 cranes from 15-ton to 230-ton capacity, 95 excavators, 24 pile hammers, and a marine barge and crane fleet), an in-house shop supported by mobile service trucks, certified construction divers, and NCDOL Certified ProLogger-supervised operations.
Revenue is generated through fixed-price contracts awarded via competitive bidding on public infrastructure projects, primarily for the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT Divisions 1-13), municipal and county governments, the federal government, and a secondary mix of private developers and commercial property owners. Project values range from approximately $10,000 (small parking lots, miscellaneous municipal work) to multi-million dollar NCDOT prime contracts and joint-venture awards, with no published price list and pricing determined per project scope. Geographic service region covers North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, and Tennessee, operating from the Mt. Airy headquarters and a marine operations base in Wilmington, NC.
The company employs 300+ workers as of 2018, operates a wholly-owned marine subsidiary formed in 2014, maintains an experienced management team including bridge superintendents with over 100 years of combined bridge building experience, and pursues only organic growth — there are no external institutional investors, private equity backers, or venture funding disclosed. Ownership and executive leadership have remained within the founding families (David Rowe, Locke Rowe) since the 1998 passing of co-founder Russell Smith, with corporate restructuring in 2011 formalizing the current Smith-Rowe, LLC entity.
Smith-Rowe firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Smith-Rowe
- Legal name
- Smith-Rowe, LLC
- Website
- https://smithrowe.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1983
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Smith-Rowe is a family-owned heavy civil construction company headquartered in Mt. Airy, NC, providing bridge, grading, demolition, marine, utility, signage, and related infrastructure services primarily to NCDOT, municipal governments, and private developers across the Carolinas and Southeast US.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Smith-Rowe industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Heavy Civil Construction
- NAICS
- Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction (237), Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction (2379), Structural Steel and Precast Concrete Contractors (23812)
- SIC
- Heavy Construction Other Than Bldg Const - Contractors (1600), Construction - Special Trade Contractors (1700), Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Mass Excavation & Bulk Earthmoving (Cut/Fill, Grading) (IMAFAKAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Construction Aggregates Mining & Processing (Sand, Gravel, Crushed Stone) (IMADAAAI)
Keywords
Where Smith-Rowe is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Mount Airy
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Smith-Rowe business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Heavy Civil Construction Contracts: Smith-Rowe generates revenue primarily through fixed-price contracts on public infrastructure projects (NCDOT, municipalities, federal government) and private commercial/developer projects. Revenue is project-based, non-recurring per project, with multiple simultaneous active contracts across different service lines. The company has grown from small bridge contracts to multi-million dollar prime contracts and joint ventures.
- On-Site Material Processing Services: On-site concrete, rock, and asphalt crushing services that convert waste material into marketable recycled aggregate products. Revenue is generated per project as a service alongside or independent of other construction contracts.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom project-based pricing via competitive bidding |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Smith-Rowe product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Smith-Rowe is a heavy civil construction general contractor that self-performs bridge construction, demolition, grading and site development, utilities and storm drain installation, marine construction (via Intercoastal Marine), concrete and rock crushing, forestry clearing and grubbing, highway signage, walls and foundations, culvert structures, and concrete saw cutting. The company delivers fixed-price infrastructure projects as a prime contractor and subcontractor for government agencies, municipalities, and private developers across the Carolinas, Virginia, Georgia, and Tennessee.
Product overview
Smith-Rowe is a family-owned heavy civil construction company offering a comprehensive suite of construction services rather than a unified software product. The core offerings include Bridge Construction (the foundational service with 500+ bridges built), Demolition, Grading & Site Development, Forestry/Clearing & Grubbing, Concrete & Rock Crushing, Utilities/Storm Drain, Highway Signage, Marine Construction, Walls & Foundations, Concrete Saw Cutting, Culvert Structures, and Miscellaneous Construction. The company operates its marine subsidiary Intercoastal Marine, LLC. The portfolio is organized around construction disciplines rather than software modules, with services often combined on projects to provide complete construction solutions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Bridge Construction Design-build and construction of roadway and highway bridges for state DOTs, municipalities, and private clients; remains the heritage service line of the company.
- Culvert Structure Construction Construction of culvert and drainage structures for transportation and site development projects.
- Walls and Foundations Construction Construction of sound walls, retaining walls, and foundations for transportation and site development projects.
- Grading and Site Development Mass grading, site preparation, and earthwork services for highway, commercial, and infrastructure projects.
- Utilities and Storm Drain Construction Installation of underground utilities, storm drainage systems, and related infrastructure for transportation and site development projects.
- Demolition Services Structural and infrastructure demolition services using company-owned equipment and crews.
- Highway Signage Services Installation of highway signage, overhead and ground-mounted signs, and related safety appurtenances for transportation projects.
- Concrete and Rock Crushing Mobile concrete and rock crushing services that recycle demolition and excavation material into reusable aggregate.
- Forestry Clearing and Grubbing Vegetation clearing, forestry mulching, and grubbing services for right-of-way preparation and site development.
- Marine Construction (Intercoastal Marine, LLC) Marine and waterfront construction delivered through wholly owned subsidiary Intercoastal Marine, LLC using a dedicated barge and crane fleet for pier, bulkhead, and over-water structural work.
- Concrete Saw Cutting Specialty concrete saw cutting services supporting demolition, bridge deck, and pavement modification work.
- Miscellaneous Heavy Civil Construction General miscellaneous construction work performed in support of Smith-Rowe's core heavy civil projects.
Quantifiable outcome
- 500+ bridges built since inception (1983–2020)
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Smith-Rowe
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Smith-Rowe technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Smith-Rowe partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Intercoastal Marine, LLCcoreSubsidiary company formed in 2014, based out of Wilmington, NC. Provides a full service barge and crane fleet with certified construction divers for marine construction. Capabilities include vessel/underwater salvage, fender systems, marine construction, bridges, utility lines/outfalls, major foundations, marinas/dock systems, and concrete/steel repair work. Serves the coasts of the Carolinas and beyond. Operates at imofnc.com.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Smith-Rowe competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Granite Construction: Large publicly-traded heavy civil contractor with significant operations across the Southeast. Comparable in bridge and grading work but operates at a much larger scale, with greater capital and geographic diversification.
- Ames Construction: Family-owned heavy civil contractor with regional operations across the US, including the Southeast. Comparable in bridge, grading, and utility work, with substantially larger fleet and bonding capacity.
- Archer Western Construction: Heavy civil arm of The Walsh Group, one of the largest privately-held builders in the US. Competes on large bridge and transportation megaprojects across the Southeast, with substantially greater capital resources.
- Lane Construction: National heavy civil contractor (subsidiary of Webuild Group) with a strong Carolinas and Southeast presence. Larger and more diversified, but competes for the same NCDOT and municipal bridge, highway, and infrastructure packages as Smith-Rowe.
- Flatiron Construction: HOCHTIEF subsidiary specializing in heavy civil infrastructure including bridges, highways, and rail. Active across the Southeast, often partnering with regional firms on megaprojects; comparable on bridge and marine-adjacent work.
- Zachry Construction Corporation: San Antonio-based heavy civil contractor with growing presence in the Southeast. Comparable in bridge and highway work at larger scale, with broader geographic and segment diversification.
Regional players
- E.S. Wagner Company: Charlotte, NC-based heavy highway and site development contractor serving the Carolinas. Overlapping service lines in grading, utilities, and bridge work, with comparable size and Southeast DOT focus.
Direct peers
- Branch Civil: Roanoke, VA-based heavy civil contractor (formerly Branch Highways) specializing in bridges, grading, drainage, and utilities across Virginia and the Carolinas. Highly comparable on bridge construction capabilities and regional DOT customer base.
- Blythe Construction Company: Charlotte, NC-based heavy civil and asphalt contractor (subsidiary of Eurovia/VINCI). Competes directly with Smith-Rowe on NCDOT grading, bridge, and highway projects across the Carolinas, with comparable service breadth in site development and paving.
- S.T. Wooten Corporation: Family-owned heavy civil and site development contractor headquartered in Wilson, NC. Comparable size and Southeast footprint, with overlapping services in bridges, grading, utilities, and asphalt paving — a direct regional competitor for NCDOT and private work.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Smith-Rowe social profiles
Digital presenceSmith-Rowe financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Smith-Rowe leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Smith-Rowe subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Smith-Rowe funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Smith-Rowe 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 Smith-Rowe
What does Smith-Rowe do?
Smith-Rowe is a heavy civil construction general contractor that self-performs bridge construction, demolition, grading and site development, utilities and storm drain installation, marine construction (via Intercoastal Marine), concrete and rock crushing, forestry clearing and grubbing, highway signage, walls and foundations, culvert structures, and concrete saw cutting. The company delivers fixed-price infrastructure projects as a prime contractor and subcontractor for government agencies, municipalities, and private developers across the Carolinas, Virginia, Georgia, and Tennessee.
Is Smith-Rowe a public or private company?
Smith-Rowe is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Smith-Rowe founded?
Smith-Rowe was founded in 1983. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Smith-Rowe based?
Smith-Rowe is headquartered in Mount Airy, United States, in the North America region.
How does Smith-Rowe make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Heavy Civil Construction Contracts are the primary driver. The others are on-Site Material Processing Services.
Who are Smith-Rowe's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Granite Construction, Ames Construction, Archer Western Construction, Lane Construction, Flatiron Construction and Zachry Construction Corporation. E.S. Wagner Company is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are Branch Civil, Blythe Construction Company and S.T. Wooten Corporation.
Does Smith-Rowe have an API?
No public API is recorded for Smith-Rowe.
What industry is Smith-Rowe in?
Smith-Rowe's product category is Heavy Civil Construction. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAFAKAC, Mass Excavation & Bulk Earthmoving (Cut/Fill, Grading), with a secondary code of IMADAAAI, Construction Aggregates Mining & Processing (Sand, Gravel, Crushed Stone). Its NAICS code is 237 and its SIC code is 1600.