What Kolb Grading does

Kolb Grading is a family-owned civil construction company headquartered in Weldon Spring, Missouri, founded in 1960 by Dave and Janet Kolb. The company provides large-scale earthwork, excavation, grading, blasting, demolition, utilities installation, tunneling, paving, and bridge construction services through 14 distinct service lines. It operates as both a general contractor and subcontractor, executing projects across the lower 48 states for public sector agencies (state DOTs, federal departments, municipalities) and private enterprise clients in transportation, energy, utilities, environmental remediation, recreation, commercial, and residential development.

The company differentiates through an in-house fleet of GPS-guided and robotic-controlled heavy equipment — including bulldozers, motor graders, scrapers, rock drills, and compactors — and through project modeling that subdivides sites into 12-inch segments for precision guided operations. Real-time indicator controls on equipment deliver field-level decision metrics, and the company highlights early adoption of GPS connectivity on rock drills as a precision advantage. Its competitive positioning emphasizes 60+ years of Midwest construction experience, multi-generational family leadership, and full-service project management from competitive bidding through completion.

Kolb Grading generates revenue through project-based contracts won via competitive bidding, with no publicly disclosed pricing. Individual project values range from single-digit millions to nine figures (e.g., $175M I-69, $70M Route 364, $57M Lambert Airport). The customer base spans government transportation departments (MoDOT, INDOT, City of St. Louis), energy companies (Ameren, Department of Energy), large healthcare and commercial developers (BJC Healthcare, Duke Realty), and industrial clients. Distribution is direct and relationship-based, with the company serving as general contractor or subcontractor depending on project scope.

Name

Kolb Grading

Legal name

Kolb Grading LLC

Website

https://davekolbgrading.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Kolb Grading is a family-owned civil construction company founded in 1960 that provides earthmoving, excavation, grading, blasting, demolition, utilities, tunneling, paving, and bridge services to government agencies and private developers across the lower 48 states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Construction Services

NAICS

Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction (237), Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction (237990)

SIC

Heavy Construction Other Than Bldg Const - Contractors (1600), Construction - Special Trade Contractors (1700)

akta.pro primary industry

Geotechnical Design, Engineering & Consulting (Analysis, Design, Peer Review) (IMAFAOAK)

Keywords

• Civil construction services
• Site development
• Earthwork excavation
• Blasting demolition
• Underground utilities

Headquarters

HQ city

St. Charles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Construction Project Services: Kolb Grading generates revenue through large-scale construction projects as both general contractor and subcontractor. Revenue is project-based, earned through competitive bids on civil construction work including earthmoving, excavation, utilities, paving, and specialized services like blasting and tunneling. Projects range from millions to hundreds of millions of dollars in contract value.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Kolb Grading LLC is a heavy civil construction company that performs site development, earthmoving, excavation, grading, blasting, demolition, utility installation, tunneling, paving, and bridge construction for public, private, and government clients across the continental United States. The firm operates a comprehensive in-house fleet of GPS-guided heavy equipment and provides end-to-end project management from competitive bidding and pre-bid planning through value engineering, construction, and final delivery, working as both general contractor and subcontractor.

Product overview

Kolb Grading is a family-owned civil construction company founded in 1960, offering a comprehensive portfolio of 14 distinct service offerings. The company's core competencies center on heavy civil construction including earthmoving, excavation, grading, blasting, demolition, and underground utilities. Key services include Complete Site Development, Earthmoving/Excavation/Grading, Blasting, Demolition, Utilities and Infrastructure, Soil Stabilization, Crushing/Aggregate Processing, Tunneling and Boring, Augering, Directional Drilling, Asphalt and Paving, and Bridge Construction. The company operates using advanced technology including GPS-guided equipment, robotic-controlled bulldozers, motor graders and scrapers, and indicator controls on track hoes, rock drills and compactors. Kolb Grading serves industries including Energy, Transportation (airports, highways, railroads, bridges/tunnels), Utilities and Infrastructure, Environmental (remediation, wetlands, levees, lakes, reservoirs, landfills), Recreation (lakes, sports complexes, parks, race tracks, golf courses), Commercial (healthcare, education, business/industrial parks, quarries), and Residential developments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Project and Budget Management Services Comprehensive project planning, budgeting, and management services including requirements specifications, quality control, crew management, risk identification, inspection coordination, and subcontractor reporting for owners, developers, and government clients of civil construction projects.
• Complete Site Development Full-service site preparation encompassing all aspects of land development from initial clearing through final grading and utility installation for commercial and residential projects of all sizes.
• Earthmoving, Excavation, and Grading Large-scale earthwork services including grading, demolition, mass excavation, rock removal, haul-offs, soil compaction, and utility-scale solar site preparation using a fleet ranging from Caterpillar heavy equipment to skid loaders, executed with GPS-guided machine control for precision.
• Blasting Services Nationwide blasting services for highways, roadcuts, highwall excavations, custom drilling, trench lines, water lines, bridges, and industrial structures, performed under comprehensive ATF licensing with GPS-guided drilling for precise angle and depth control.
• Demolition Services Full-service demolition including site survey, explosives management, permit management, materials hauling, and salvaging/recycling of recovered materials for commercial, industrial, and highway demolition projects.
• Utilities and Unconventional Infrastructure Civil construction services for underground infrastructure including water pipelines, cast-in-place structures, sanitary and storm pump stations, bridges, tunnels, and HDPE pipe installation with field-based heat fusion capabilities.
• Soil Stabilization Services Soil stabilization techniques including cement, lime, and ash stabilization, mine grouting, and roller-compacted concrete (RCC) for embankment construction and road installation.
• Crushing/Aggregate Processing Onsite crushing and aggregate processing services that reuse materials like asphalt and concrete, reducing landfill waste and saving project time and money for clients.
• Underground Utility Services Underground utility installation support services including building structures and the use of Caterpillar Next Generation technology for accurate subsurface utility mapping.
• Tunneling and Boring Services Large-diameter tunneling services for telecommunications, water, sewer, power, and gas applications including soft ground tunneling, rock tunneling, and hand-mined tunneling techniques.
• Augering Services Horizontal auger drilling services for industrial plants, commercial and government buildings, lift stations, cell towers, and highway construction projects.
• Directional Drilling Trenchless directional drilling services for water, sewer, telecommunications, rock and river boring, and hydro-excavating with minimal surface disruption.
• Asphalt and Paving Services Complete asphalt and paving services including repairs, line striping, patching, excavation, sealcoating, resurfacing, installation, and stabilization for residential, commercial, and industrial projects.
• Bridge Construction Bridge construction, refurbishment, and maintenance services including utility bridges, box culvert installation, and precast concrete panel bridge installation across the continental United States.

Quantifiable outcome

• Completed $175 million Indiana I-69 project with 10.36 million cubic yards of unclassified excavation
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Page Constructors (Joint Venture)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKolb Grading LLC joined a partnership to form Page Constructors with Fred Weber Inc., Millstone-Bangert Inc. (now Millstone Weber), and lead designer Parsons Transportation Group. This joint venture was awarded Phase 3 of the Missouri Route 364 Page Avenue Extension project worth $70 million, involving 11+ miles of new four-lane roadway construction and design-build of a new interchange.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Fred Weber, Inc. St. Louis-area heavy civil and earthwork contractor; Kolb partnered with Fred Weber on the Route 364 Page Constructors JV, indicating directly overlapping services in earthmoving, grading, and highway construction in the same Midwest geography.
• Millstone Weber (formerly Millstone-Bangert): Heavy civil contractor that joined Kolb in the Page Constructors JV for the $70M Route 364 design-build. Operates in the same earthwork, utilities, and highway space across the Midwest.
• Phillips Hardy Inc. Missouri-based site development, earthwork, and utility contractor serving commercial and government clients in the same regional market where Kolb competes for site prep and grading work.
• Emery Sapp & Sons: Midwest-based heavy civil contractor with comparable earthmoving, grading, utilities, and site development services; competes with Kolb on DOT and large commercial site work in Missouri and surrounding states.
• Edward Kraemer & Sons: Heavy civil and earthwork contractor serving transportation, mining, and energy infrastructure; comparable services including mass excavation, grading, and highway construction across the Midwest.
• Herzog Contracting Corp. Heavy civil and rail infrastructure contractor performing earthwork, grading, and rail bed construction across the U.S.; competes with Kolb for railroad and transit-related earthmoving contracts such as the Indiana Railroad work.
• L.G. Barcus & Sons: Family-owned heavy civil contractor specializing in earthwork, grading, and site development in the Midwest; directly comparable business model, scale, and customer mix to Kolb Grading.

Broad incumbents

• Walsh Group / Walsh Construction: Large, multi-disciplinary construction firm with a heavy civil division delivering highway, bridge, and transit projects nationwide; competes with Kolb on the largest DOT and design-build pursuits where Kolb partners via JVs.

Regional players

• Mannix Contractors: Heavy civil earthwork and site development contractor primarily serving the Mid-Atlantic; comparable service mix (earthmoving, grading, utilities) and competitive bidding model, though operating in a different geography than Kolb.
• Apex Engineering Group / Apex Civil Group: Multi-state civil contractor performing earthwork, utilities, and site development; comparable services to Kolb though serving different regional markets in the U.S. South and Mountain West.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/KolbGrading
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dave-kolb-grading-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Kolb Grading