What MG McGrath does

MG McGrath (legal entity M.G. McGrath, Inc.) is a privately held specialty contractor founded in 1985 by Mike G McGrath and headquartered in Maplewood, Minnesota. The company operates through two divisions: Architectural Surfaces (sheet metal) and Architectural Glass & Glazing. Its core deliverable is the design, fabrication, and installation of high-performance building envelope systems — including unitized curtain wall (the proprietary MGU-8 system), conventional stick-built enclosures, volumetric modular construction, and custom architectural metalwork with proprietary patina finishes. Fabrication occurs at a 100,000 sq ft custom manufacturing facility, and the firm deploys roughly 250+ tradespeople to projects across all 48 contiguous US states.

The company's revenue model is project-based specialty contracting, with most work sourced through negotiated and bid relationships with national general contractors (including Mortenson, JE Dunn, and Turner) and direct engagement with owners/developers. Pricing is fixed-price or guaranteed-maximum-price per project scope, with revenue recognition tied to percentage-of-completion accounting typical for the trade. Customer segments span healthcare (Mayo Clinic), corporate technology (Meta MPK 21), retail luxury (Louis Vuitton), professional sports venues (Chase Center for the Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Vikings facilities), cultural institutions (US Olympic Museum, Mall of America), and higher education and government work. Go-to-market emphasizes early design-assist integration, locking in specifications during schematic design phases.

MG McGrath has held ENR Top 600 Specialty Contractor status consistently and ranks in the Top 20 nationally in both sheet metal and glazing/curtain wall categories. Safety performance includes CHASE Level 3 (the highest MNOSHA partner tier). The firm is family-owned with no disclosed external funding, M&A activity, or public market activity, indicating a long-horizon operating orientation rather than exit-driven strategy.

Name

MG McGrath

Legal name

M.G. McGrath, Inc.

Website

https://mgmcgrath.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

MG McGrath is a family-owned specialty contractor (founded 1985, Maplewood, MN) that designs, fabricates, and installs architectural sheet metal, curtain wall, and glazing systems for landmark commercial projects across all 48 contiguous US states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Metal and Glass Fabrication Services

NAICS

Metal Window and Door Manufacturing (332321), Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing (332322), Prefabricated Metal Building and Component Manufacturing (332311)

SIC

Sheet Metal Work (3444), Fabricated Structural Metal Products (3440), Metal Doors, Sash, Frames, Moldings & Trim (3442)

akta.pro primary industry

Metal Roofing & Wall Panels (Architectural/Structural) (IMADACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sheet Metal & Flashing Works (Gutters, Copings, Edge Metal, Downspouts) (IMAFAMAE), Interior Glazing & Glass Partitions (IMAFANAK), Glazing Hardware, Sealants & Accessories (Spacers/Gaskets/Setting Blocks) (IMADAHAJ)

Keywords

• Architectural metal fabrication
• Glass and glazing systems
• Curtain wall installation
• Metal panel cladding
• Building envelope construction

Headquarters

HQ city

Maplewood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Project-based Construction Contracting: One-time project contracts for custom architectural fabrication and installation of sheet metal, glass & glazing, curtain wall, and enclosure systems. Project-based revenue with long lead times from design through installation.
2. Preconstruction and Design Assist Services: Professional services including preconstruction planning, design assist, and engineering services provided to architects, developers, and general contractors during early project phases.
3. Custom Architectural Product Fabrication: Manufacturing and sale of fabricated architectural products including custom panels, curtain wall units, louvers, and specialty metal components manufactured at the 100,000 sq ft facility.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

MG McGrath designs, fabricates, and installs custom architectural sheet metal and glass & glazing systems for commercial building envelopes across the 48 contiguous United States. Offerings include proprietary panel and curtain wall systems, conventional stick-built enclosures, volumetric modular construction, and in-house custom pre-patinated metal finishes, delivered via preconstruction design-assist, fabrication, and field installation under single-source accountability.

Product overview

MG McGrath is a single specialty-contractor firm organized around two operating divisions: MG McGrath Architectural Surfaces (sheet metal fabrication and installation) and MG McGrath Architectural Glass & Glazing (glass and glazing systems). Its offering is not a software product but rather an integrated portfolio of construction services and proprietary building systems. Within that portfolio, the company offers several distinct offerings: the MGU-8 Unitized CW prefab curtain wall system, Volumetric Modular construction, Conventional Enclosures (rainscreens, curtain wall, punched windows), an in-house Custom Finishes line of pre-patinated metal finishes, and Sculptures & Decorative Cladding for ornamental metalwork. These are delivered alongside Preconstruction Design Assist and Retrofit & Renovation services, all supported by a 100,000-square-foot custom manufacturing facility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MG McGrath Architectural Surfaces: Operating division/company providing architectural sheet metal fabrication and installation, including metal roofing, plate and composite panel systems, HPL rain screen panels, terra cotta, perforated cladding, ornamental sculptures, and custom patina finishes.
• MG McGrath Architectural Glass & Glazing

Products and services

• MGU-8 Unitized Curtain Wall System Prefabricated unitized curtain wall system with Glass+ and Metals+ building components shop-fabricated in a controlled environment to meet high-performance envelope requirements; for commercial building facades.
• Volumetric Modular Construction Prefabricated modular construction approach for faster and safer project execution, using off-site prefabricated modules for building enclosure systems.
• Conventional Enclosures Stick-built enclosure systems including rainscreens, curtain wall, and punched windows, using manufactured brands and custom fabrication; for commercial building envelopes.
• Custom Finishes In-house line of custom, pre-patinated finishes applied to metal substrates (copper, zinc, bronze, steel), combining proprietary chemistry and artistry for accelerated natural weathering effects.
• Sculptures & Decorative Cladding Custom decorative metal solutions including perforated imagery, wall art, ornamental cladding, column covers, canopies, artistic glass, 3D tactile facades, entryways, interior features, and sunshades/fins/louvers.
• Design Assist (Preconstruction) Collaborative preconstruction design-assist service providing value engineering, constructability input, and open communication across the project team (architects, developers, general contractors).
• Retrofit & Renovation Services for retrofitting and renovating existing buildings using MG McGrath's fabrication and installation capabilities for architectural metal and glass enclosure upgrades.
• MG McGrath Architectural Surfaces Division specializing in design, fabrication, and installation of architectural sheet metal products including metal wall panel systems, HPL panel systems, terra cotta panel systems, perforated cladding systems, ornamental sculptures/art pieces, and custom patina finishes on copper, zinc, bronze, and steel, backed by a 100,000-square-foot custom manufacturing facility.
• MG McGrath Architectural Glass & Glazing Division providing architectural glass and glazing systems including curtain wall, storefronts, skylights, and interior glass installations, working with materials from manufacturers such as Kawneer, Viracon, Skyline Design, Forms + Surfaces, Bendheim, Corning Med-X, Wagner, and Firelite.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ranked in ENR Top 600 Specialty Contractors nationally
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers43 records

Segments12 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Phalanx StudiosminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPhalanx Studios served as MG McGrath's web design partner, responsible for the design and development of the company's website (mgmcgrath.com). This is a vendor-style engagement supporting MG McGrath's digital marketing presence.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• APi Group Corporation: APi Group is the parent of Harmon and a broad specialty contractor holding company in life safety, specialty services, and architectural envelope services. It is comparable as a publicly traded sponsor of one of MG McGrath's closest direct competitors and a benchmark for valuation in the specialty contractor space.
• Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope: Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope (CRH) is a broad incumbent offering curtain wall, storefront, glazing, and architectural metals as part of a much larger building products portfolio. It overlaps with MG McGrath but at a much larger, multi-product scale and serves as a benchmark for installed pricing and market share.

Direct peers

• W&W Glass LLC: W&W Glass is a national architectural glass and metal contractor specializing in unitized curtain wall, storefronts, and custom glazing. It serves the same developer/architect/GC ecosystem and competes head-to-head on landmark commercial and cultural projects.
• Benson Industries: Benson Industries is a U.S. architectural curtain wall and exterior facade contractor focused on custom-engineered unitized systems for commercial towers and cultural buildings. It competes with MG McGrath on large-scale unitized and custom curtain wall scope.
• Harmon Inc. Harmon is one of the largest U.S. architectural glazing and curtain wall specialty contractors, a wholly-owned subsidiary of APi Group. It competes directly with MG McGrath's Architectural Glass & Glazing division on unitized curtain wall and large commercial facade projects across the U.S.
• Zahner (A. Zahner & Company): Zahner is a premier custom architectural metal fabrication firm known for sculptural, high-design metal facades using copper, zinc, stainless steel, and other specialty alloys. It is one of the closest peers to MG McGrath's Architectural Surfaces division in the custom/sculptural metal niche.
• Linetec: Linetec is a large architectural finishing and painting services company serving the commercial construction industry with anodizing, painting, and specialty finishes for metal extrusions and panels. It is comparable as a finishing and finishing-adjacent services peer to MG McGrath's Architectural Surfaces work.
• Enclos Corp. Enclos is a national facade specialty contractor delivering custom curtain wall and building envelope systems for complex commercial and cultural projects. It directly overlaps with MG McGrath's unitized curtain wall, modular prefab, and high-performance enclosure offerings.
• Crescent Bronze Powder Co. Crescent Bronze is a specialty supplier and finisher of custom patina, bronze, copper, and zinc finishes used across architecture and art. It is highly comparable to MG McGrath's in-house Custom Finishes product line, particularly for pre-patinated architectural metals.

Others

• Heath & Lineback Engineers: Heath & Lineback is an engineering and design firm specializing in building enclosures, facades, and curtain wall structural engineering. It is adjacent rather than directly competitive, but operates in the same design-assist ecosystem that MG McGrath's preconstruction team engages with on landmark projects.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MGMcGrath_AS
• Facebookfacebook.com/MGMcGrathInc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 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 MG McGrath