Apex Steel

What Apex Steel does

Apex Steel is a privately held structural steel erection company headquartered in Kirkland, Washington, founded in 1996 by Kevin Koester as a rebar placing business and progressively expanded into a family of four wholly-owned operating subsidiaries: Apex Steel (structural steel erection, bridge erection with AISC Bridge Erection Endorsement, and supply-and-install of specialty metals including architecturally exposed steel, weathering steel, stainless steel and aluminum), Apex Tower Crane (tower crane erection, climbing and dismantling plus hoist leasing under the Apex Hoist division, with zero time-loss incidents since inception in 2008), Apex Steel Montana (steel erection and pre-engineered metal building services for Montana, Wyoming, the Dakotas and Utah), and Apex Steel Spokane (steel erection for Eastern Washington, Northeastern Oregon and Idaho). The company holds AISC Certified Steel Erector Advanced (CSEA) certification with Metal Deck Installation Endorsement, maintains certified dealer/installer status with Chief Buildings, Nucor Building Systems, Kalwall, Centria and Ceco, and has been recognized on ENR's Top 600 Contractors list with project awards including ENR 2020 Best of the Best for the Seattle Space Needle Century Project and an AISC IDEAS Award for the Museum of Flight pedestrian bridge.

The company generates revenue through four primary professional services streams — structural steel erection, bridge erection, tower crane and hoist services, and pre-engineered metal building supply-and-install — supplemented by equipment leasing of Alimak and Avro hoists. It sells primarily through direct enterprise relationships with general contractors and developers (Skanska USA, Turner Construction, Sellen Construction, Vulcan, Nintendo, Sodo Builders) on quote-based, project-specific contracts across 10 US states. Customer concentration sits with a handful of large commercial GCs working in the Pacific Northwest, where marquee reference projects (Amazon Tower 555, Nintendo HQ, Space Needle Century Project) anchor the brand and competitive position.

Underlying the service offering is an integrated capability stack: AISC-certified quality and safety management systems, custom engineered solutions for logistically complex work (custom gantry crane for the Space Needle observation deck, launching systems for elevated bridge work, AESS architectural fabrication, and own Alimak/Avro hoist fleet), supported by a union-trained ironworker workforce (JATC and IMPACT certifications) and an in-house engineering, estimating and detailing function. Multiple recent hires (CFO, Controller, Operations Manager, additional project managers and estimators) indicate an ongoing professionalization phase consistent with multi-state, multi-subsidiary regional growth.

Name

Apex Steel

Legal name

Apex Steel

Website

https://apexsteel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Apex Steel is a privately held, AISC CSEA-certified structural steel erector headquartered in Kirkland, WA, operating through four wholly-owned subsidiaries (Apex Steel, Apex Tower Crane, Apex Steel Montana, Apex Steel Spokane) to deliver steel erection, bridge, tower crane, hoist, and pre-engineered metal building services to general contractors and developers across 10 US states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Structural Steel Erection Services

NAICS

Structural Steel and Precast Concrete Contractors (238120), Structural Steel and Precast Concrete Contractors (23812), Fabricated Structural Metal Manufacturing (332312)

SIC

Fabricated Structural Metal Products (3440), Heavy Construction Other Than Bldg Const - Contractors (1600)

akta.pro primary industry

Structural Steel Fabrication (IMADACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Steel Plate, Sections & Welded Assemblies (IMADACAD)

Keywords

• Structural steel erection
• Bridge erection services
• Tower crane services
• Metal building installation
• Construction hoist leasing

Headquarters

HQ city

Kirkland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Structural Steel Erection Services: Core revenue from steel erection services for commercial and industrial construction projects including high-rise buildings, bridges, and specialized structures.
2. Tower Crane and Hoist Services: Tower crane erection, climbing, and dismantling services, plus hoist leasing and installation. Apex Tower Crane has had zero time loss incidents since inception in 2008.
3. Equipment Leasing: Hoist leasing through Apex Hoist division which owns Alimak and Avro single and dual car hoists. Certified technicians supplied for both tower crane and hoist operations.
4. Metal Building Supply and Installation: Certified dealer and installer for Chief Buildings and Nucor Building, plus certified Kalwall and Centria installer, providing complete metal building solutions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Apex Steel is a specialty steel erection contractor that provides structural steel erection, bridge erection, supply and install, pre-engineered metal building installation, tower crane services, and hoist leasing for commercial, industrial, and infrastructure construction projects. The firm operates as AISC Certified Steel Erector Advanced (CSEA) and serves general contractors and developers across 10 states through wholly-owned subsidiaries (Apex Steel Montana, Apex Steel Spokane, Apex Tower Crane, Apex Hoist).

Product overview

Apex Steel is a steel erection company operating as a family of companies: Apex Steel (structural steel, rebar, supply/install), Apex Steel Montana (steel erection and pre-engineered metal buildings for MT, WY, SD, ND, UT), Apex Tower Crane (tower crane and hoist erection, climbing, dismantling and leasing), and Apex Steel Spokane (steel erection for Eastern WA, NE Oregon, Idaho). The company provides end-to-end construction services including pre-construction, structural steel erection, bridge erection, metal building installation, tower crane and hoist services. Apex Tower Crane operates with zero time loss incidents since 2008.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Structural Steel Erection Structural steel erection services for commercial, industrial, and institutional projects, executed under AISC Certified Steel Erector Advanced (CSEA) certification with Metal Deck Installation Endorsement; includes welding, decking, bolt installation, written safety plans, and project-specific erection plans for general contractors and developers.
• Bridge Erection Bridge erection services for pedestrian, automotive, or industrial use, providing schedule-driven plans and engineering constructability under AISC Bridge Erection Endorsement; designed to address logistically challenging projects including those at extreme elevations.
• Supply & Install Full supply and install services including cost optimization, design, detailing, quality, safety, and site logistics for general contractors and developers; provides specialty metals (AESS, weathering steel, stainless steel, aluminum) and custom fabrication for milling, machining, forming, and bending.
• Metal Building Supply and Installation Metal building supply and installation from concept through final construction through Apex's certified dealer relationships with Chief Buildings, Nucor Building, Kalwall, and Centria; provides pre-engineered metal buildings, certified Kalwall and Centria envelope installations, standing seam roofing, and Woods Power Grip Lift rigging for commercial, aviation, equestrian, and industrial buildings.
• Tower Crane Services Tower crane erection, climbing, and dismantling services for any make or model of tower crane or hoist, delivered by Apex Tower Crane's expert team of highly trained professionals with an end-to-end plan and emphasis on safety and customer service.
• Hoist Leasing Hoist leasing and installation services through Apex Hoist, providing Alimak and Avro single and dual car hoists with certified technicians; Alimak dual cars operate up to 178 fpm with a standard 660' height, and Avro dual cars up to 200 fpm with up to 1500' height, including lift gates, interlocks, and intercoms.

Quantifiable outcome

• Space Needle Century Project completed with 50,000 man hours and zero time loss incidents
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Chief BuildingscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorApex is a Chief Buildings Dealer providing certified supply and installation of pre-engineered metal buildings for commercial and specialty applications including aviation hangers.
• Nucor BuildingcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCertified Nucor Building Dealer providing pre-engineered metal building solutions.
• KalwallminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCertified Kalwall installer for specialty building envelope solutions.
• CentriaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCertified Centria installer for metal wall and roof systems.
• Ceco Building SystemsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCertified installer of Ceco Building Systems for pre-engineered metal buildings through Apex Steel Spokane.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cives Steel Company: Structural and miscellaneous steel fabricator and erector serving commercial and industrial projects across the US and Canada. Comparable to Apex on the steel erection side of the business, with deeper self-performed fabrication capacity.
• Midwest Steel: National-scale structural steel erector serving commercial, sports, and convention projects across the US. Comparable to Apex on structural steel erection as the core service and on working as a specialty trade contractor to top-tier general contractors.
• Ben Hur Construction: Structural steel erector serving commercial, industrial, and institutional projects across the Midwest and beyond. Similar in scope to Apex as a specialty steel erection contractor with comparable general contractor relationships and project types.
• SME Steel Contractors: Large Western US structural steel erector serving commercial, healthcare, and high-rise projects across more than a dozen states. Highly comparable to Apex in scope of structural steel erection, customer mix (major GCs and developers), and ability to take on complex, schedule-driven projects.
• Davis Steel Erection & Rigging: Pacific Northwest-based structural steel erector serving Oregon, Washington, and surrounding states. Directly comparable to Apex on regional focus, structural steel erection scope, and GC/developer customer base, and a primary regional competitor for PNW high-rise work.
• The Erection Company: Specialty structural steel erector serving commercial and industrial projects. Comparable to Apex in core service offering, project types, and reliance on general contractor relationships for project acquisition.

Others

• Chief Buildings: Manufacturer of pre-engineered metal buildings for which Apex is a certified dealer and installer. Directly connected to Apex as an upstream supplier/channel partner for the PEMB side of Apex's business.
• Nucor Building Systems: Manufacturer of pre-engineered metal building systems for which Apex is a certified dealer. Comparable as a PEMB channel partner supplying the metal building division of Apex's business.

Broad incumbents

• Lexicon: Large national structural steel and miscellaneous metals contractor with fabrication and erection capabilities across the US. Comparable to Apex on structural steel erection, but operates at materially greater scale and broader geographic reach.
• DBM Global (Schuff Steel): National structural steel fabrication and erection platform serving commercial, industrial, and infrastructure projects across the US. Comparable to Apex on core structural steel work, but with significantly larger scale, fabrication capacity, and project backlog.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/apexsteel

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 Apex Steel