What Stalworth Underground does

Stalworth Underground LLC is a Chicago-based private geotechnical contractor founded in 2012 that provides deep foundation and earth retention services to the construction industry. The company serves general contractors, project owners, and government agencies through direct project contracting and competitive bidding, primarily across the Chicago metropolitan area and broader Midwest region. Named customers include United Airlines, the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT), the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDOA), Northwestern University, the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad, and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD), spanning aviation, transit, rail, education, and water infrastructure verticals.

Core offerings span six service categories: Deep Foundation (drilled caissons, micropiles, H-piles), Earth Retention Systems (soldier pile and lagging, sheet piling, soil nail walls, tiebacks), Value Engineering, Marine Work, Underpinning, and Specialty Services. Technical differentiation rests on a modern fleet of drill rigs, in-house engineering expertise in Chicago-specific soil profiles, and advanced techniques to manage unexpected subsurface obstructions. The company's work has supported landmark projects including a 74-story high-rise (1000M at 1000 S. Michigan), the United Airlines hangar at O'Hare, multiple CDOT/CDOA infrastructure projects, and rail bridge installations for the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad — with documented capacity including 1,800+ steel H-piles on a single MWRD engagement and 200+ H-piles exceeding 70 feet deep on the O'Hare project.

The business operates on a bid-based project contracting model with revenue generated through lump-sum contracts or cost-plus arrangements. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, with bid requests routed through a dedicated email channel ([email protected]). The go-to-market approach is enterprise field sales — direct engagement with general contractors, government agencies, and project owners — supplemented by project portfolio-based content marketing and industry association memberships (ADSC, DFI, ASA Chicago, Sheffield, ACEC). Stalworth maintains a stated 68+ project track record since founding and a reported 0.68 EMR safety rating.

Name

Stalworth Underground

Legal name

Stalworth Underground LLC

Website

https://stalworthunderground.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Stalworth Underground is a Chicago-based geotechnical contractor providing deep foundation, earth retention, marine, underpinning, and value engineering services to general contractors, government agencies, and project owners across the Midwest.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Geotechnical Construction Services

NAICS

Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction (237), Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction (237990), Poured Concrete Foundation and Structure Contractors (23811)

SIC

Heavy Construction Other Than Bldg Const - Contractors (1600)

akta.pro primary industry

Earth Retention & Excavation Support (Sheet/Soldier Piles, Diaphragm Walls, Bracing) (IMAFAOAD)

Keywords

• Deep foundation services
• Earth retention systems
• Geotechnical engineering
• Driven pile installation
• Construction underpinning

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Geotechnical Construction Services: Project-based contracting for deep foundation and earth retention services including caissons, piles, soldier pile systems, and marine work. Revenue is generated through lump-sum contracts or cost-plus arrangements for construction projects in the Chicago area and beyond.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Stalworth Underground is a geotechnical engineering contractor that installs deep foundations (drilled caissons, micropiles, and H-piles) and earth retention systems (soldier pile and lagging, sheet piling, soil nail walls, tiebacks) for commercial, infrastructure, aviation, and marine construction projects. The company delivers these services for general contractors, project owners, and government agencies in the Chicago metropolitan area and broader Midwest region through project-based contracts secured by competitive bidding.

Product overview

Stalworth Underground is a geotechnical engineering contractor providing deep foundation and earth retention services for the Chicago construction industry. The company operates as a unified service offering centered on six core capabilities: Deep Foundation Services (caissons, micropiles, H-piles), Earth Retention Systems (soldier piles, sheet piling, soil nail walls, tiebacks), Value Engineering, Marine Work, Underpinning, and Specialty Services. Projects range from high-rise foundations and transit stations to marine construction and historic building stabilization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Deep Foundation Services Drilled caisson and pile installation services for building foundations, including rock socketed caissons, micropiles, and H-piles for high-rise, bridge, and commercial structures. Targeted at general contractors, owners, and agencies needing structural foundation support.
• Earth Retention Systems Engineered earth retention solutions including soldier pile and lagging systems, sheet piling, braced systems, soil nail walls, tiebacks, and access shafts to enable safe construction near existing structures.
• Value Engineering Project optimization services that reduce cost and expedite construction schedules through innovative approaches and diverse equipment capabilities.
• Marine Work Waterfront construction services including cofferdam installation, river wall construction, and waterway repairs using creative solutions like causeways and barge-mounted sheet pile driving.
• Underpinning Structural support services using jacked push piers and helical piers to stabilize existing structures during adjacent excavation or to remediate settlement issues.
• Specialty Services Non-standard geotechnical construction including tremmie pouring pier slabs and causeway installation, performed by experienced teams with specialized equipment.

Quantifiable outcome

• $1 Million+ in value engineered savings on CDOA Midway project
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 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

One partnership is on record.

• GRL EngineerssupportingTechnology or IntegrationGRL Engineers were brought onto the United Airlines Hangar project at O'Hare International Airport for dynamic pile testing. This partnership helped address challenges posed by dense gravel and stiff clay layers during pile driving, ensuring quality assurance for the deep foundation work.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Hayward Baker (Keller Group): One of North America's largest specialty geotechnical contractors offering deep foundations, earth retention, ground improvement, and underpinning — direct competition for Stalworth on complex urban foundation projects.
• Condon-Johnson & Associates: Foundation and ground improvement contractor specializing in drilled shafts, micropiles, soil mixing, and earth retention — comparable scope and overlap on transportation and infrastructure projects.
• Helical Drilling: New England-based deep foundations and geotechnical contractor offering drilled micropiles, helical piles, and underpinning — comparable specialty services with mid-size private-company profile similar to Stalworth.
• CASE Foundation Company: Specialty contractor providing drilled shafts, micropiles, driven piles, and earth retention across the Midwest and nationally — directly comparable on scope, customer type, and project scale.
• McKinney Drilling Company: Specialty drilling and foundations contractor executing drilled shafts, caissons, and micropile projects in challenging soil conditions — directly comparable deep foundation service offering.
• Berkel & Company Contractors: Specialty contractor focused on deep foundations including auger cast piles, drilled shafts, micropiles, and earth retention systems — directly comparable technical capabilities and project types.
• Underpinning & Foundation Skanska: Division of Skanska providing underpinning, deep foundations, and earth retention services for urban construction environments — directly comparable specialty geotechnical services to Stalworth.
• Bencor Corporation: Specialty foundation contractor providing drilled shafts, micropiles, driven piles, and earth retention across the U.S. — directly comparable service portfolio and project profile to Stalworth.
• Geo-Con Inc. Full-service geotechnical specialty contractor offering deep foundations, ground improvement, soil stabilization, and earth retention — comparable technical scope and contracting model.

Emerging players

• Morrison Engineering (geotechnical) / SME USA: Geotechnical engineering and construction services firm with overlap in foundations, earth retention, and ground improvement — comparable specialty contractor with growing presence in Midwest urban markets.

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 Stalworth Underground