What S. M. Wilson & Co. does

S. M. Wilson & Co. is a 105-year-old, 100% employee-owned construction management firm headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, with a secondary office in Edwardsville, Illinois. Founded in 1921 in Granite City, Illinois, the company delivers pre-construction, construction management, design/build, and general contracting services, with Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) accounting for roughly 80% of its K-12 education work and cumulatively $3.6 billion in CMAR projects managed. Its primary customer base is Midwestern public-sector clients — K-12 school districts (40+ across Missouri and Illinois; $2 billion in education project experience; 6,000+ classrooms), municipal governments, and healthcare systems including BJC HealthCare and Blessing Health System, with supplementary work in retail, higher education, and industrial markets.

The firm operates on a direct, enterprise field-sales model targeting superintendents, CFOs, board members, and municipal officials via relationship-driven long sales cycles and CMAR-enabled early preconstruction engagement. Underlying technology is conventional construction-industry tooling — Viewpoint and Asuretify platforms integrated for subcontractor payment processing, plus drones and 360-degree cameras for site documentation — with no disclosed AI/ML capability. Pricing is custom project-based and not publicly disclosed; contract values range from single-digit millions (e.g., $6.8M Highland Public Safety Building) to large multi-year bond programs (Ladue School District Prop L, multiple Kids FIRST initiatives).

Commercially, S. M. Wilson is a regionally anchored, vertically diversified CM firm that monetizes long-cycle public sector relationships and ESOP-aligned employee accountability rather than scale or technology differentiation. Its SKILLED® construction-career education program reaching 13,000+ students represents a long-horizon demand-generation asset targeting future decision-makers. The firm completed a leadership transition in July 2024 with Michael Yazbec (formerly JLL Executive Managing Director) named President alongside multiple senior hires, suggesting an intent to professionalize and modestly scale the ~100-person organization beyond its current Midwest footprint, evidenced by early geographic expansion into West Tennessee.

Name

S. M. Wilson & Co.

Legal name

S. M. Wilson & Co.

Website

https://smwilson.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1921

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

S. M. Wilson & Co. is a 100% employee-owned construction management firm delivering pre-construction, CMAR, design/build, and general contracting services across the Midwest. The 105-year-old firm primarily serves K-12 school districts, healthcare systems, and municipalities in Missouri and Illinois.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Construction Management Services

SIC

General Bldg Contractors - Nonresidential Bldgs (1540)

akta.pro primary industry

Commercial General Contracting (New Build) (IMAFAAAA)

Keywords

• Construction management services
• Design-build construction
• General contracting services
• Pre-construction planning
• Construction program management

Headquarters

HQ city

St Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Construction Management Services: Full-service construction management from preconstruction through project completion. Fees based on project scope, delivery method, and contract type. CMAR (Construction Manager at Risk) is primary delivery method for public sector clients.
2. Design/Build Services: Integrated design and construction services under single contract, providing single point of responsibility for project delivery.
3. General Contracting: Traditional general contracting services for private and public sector projects, including site management, subcontractor coordination, and quality control.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

S. M. Wilson & Co. is a 100% employee-owned construction management, design/build, and general contracting firm providing full-service construction delivery from pre-construction through warranty. The firm specializes in Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) delivery, having managed $3.6 billion in CMAR projects, and serves K-12 education, healthcare, municipal, commercial, industrial, and retail markets across the Midwest. The company also operates a Special Projects Division for specialized work outside standard markets.

Product overview

S. M. Wilson & Co. is a 100% employee-owned construction management, design/build, and general contracting firm offering a comprehensive suite of construction services. The core offering comprises Construction Management, Design/Build, General Contracting, and Pre-Construction Services delivered through a single unified platform. The company operates a Special Projects Division for specialized work and runs SKILLED®, a construction career education program spanning PreK-12 outreach through college internships. The firm primarily serves education, healthcare, municipal, commercial, industrial, and retail markets across the Midwest.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SKILLED: Construction career education program launched in 2019 to inspire the future of construction through Pre-K to college programs including Discover, Develop, and Elevate initiatives.

Products and services

• Construction Management Services Full-service construction management including project scheduling, cost management, quality control, and safety oversight from inception to completion. Primary delivery method is Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR), which accounts for 80% of education work and $3.6 billion in managed CMAR projects.
• Design/Build Services Integrated design and construction services under a single contract, providing streamlined project delivery with collaborative design and construction phases and a single point of responsibility for clients.
• General Contracting Traditional general contracting services for overseeing and executing construction work, managing vendors and trades, and day-to-day site supervision for private and public sector projects.
• Pre-Construction Services Early involvement services including project planning, cost modeling, value engineering, constructability reviews, and strategic procurement to optimize budget and schedule before construction begins. Saves clients 5-8% during planning and pre-construction through early engagement.
• Special Projects Division Dedicated division handling specialized construction projects outside the firm's standard commercial and educational markets, providing focused expertise on niche or unique construction engagements.

Quantifiable outcome

• Saves clients 5-8% during planning and pre-construction through early engagement and value engineering
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers21 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Reinhardt ConstructioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture partnership (Reinhardt/Wilson) for Columbia Public Schools projects including Southwest Elementary School. Combined expertise for CMAR delivery method on large-scale education projects.
• BJC HealthCarecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner30+ year strategic partnership with major healthcare system in St. Louis region. Bill Wagner led over $1.1 billion in healthcare work including groundbreaking projects.
• Blessing Health SystemcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner30+ year partnership with Blessing Health System, completing more than $180 million in projects. Described as trusted advisor and construction manager.
• Boone Hospital CentermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare construction partnership as part of S. M. Wilson's healthcare market expertise.
• Graham & Hyde ArchitectsmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArchitecture firm for Jacksonville School District #117 Murrayville-Woodson Elementary School project.
• Loyet ArchitectsmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArchitecture firm for Highland Public Safety Building project.
• Farnsworth GroupmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArchitecture firm for Jerseyville Public Library addition project.
• The Architects AlliancecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArchitecture firm for Jefferson City School District Kids FIRST bond issue projects including Early Childhood Center.
• DLR GroupcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArchitecture and pre-construction services for Columbia Public Schools Southwest Elementary project.
• SOAmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArchitecture firm partnering with DLR Group for Columbia Public Schools Southwest Elementary.
• Cordogan Clark & AssociatescoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArchitecture firm for Ladue School District Prop L Bond Issue projects.
• Perkins & WillcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArchitecture firm for Ladue School District Prop L Bond Issue projects including Ladue Middle School.
• Client SavvymajorTechnology or IntegrationCustomer feedback software platform integrated into S. M. Wilson's client experience program. Used to collect and analyze client feedback.
• ClearlyRatedmajorTechnology or IntegrationFeedback platform used to collect, analyze and act on client feedback for Excellence in Client Experience Award program.
• Missouri School Board Association (MSBA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSKILLED Awards program partnered with MSBA and STL Works to honor construction career education achievements.
• STL WorksmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkforce development organization partnering on SKILLED Awards program for construction career education.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Gilbane Building Company: National ENR Top 20 builder with deep K-12 and healthcare CMAR practices, currently expanding Midwest footprint; competes for large bond-funded programs in districts S. M. Wilson serves.
• Alberici Constructors: Major St. Louis-based general contractor with longstanding healthcare, industrial, and institutional practices competing for the same Missouri/Illinois owner pool.
• Pepper Construction Group: Midwest-rooted construction management and design-build firm with strong K-12 and higher education practices across Illinois and Indiana; significantly larger but overlapping client base and CMAR approach.
• Clayco: St. Louis-based national design-build firm executing commercial, industrial, and institutional projects at much larger scale; competes for healthcare and institutional work in the same geography.
• McCarthy Building Companies: St. Louis-headquartered national ENR Top 20 builder with deep healthcare, education, and CMAR practices across the Midwest; competes for the same K-12 and healthcare owner of record but at materially larger scale.

Direct peers

• The Korte Company: Midwest regional (St. Louis) design-build and construction management firm delivering education, commercial, and federal projects — directly comparable in size, geography, and delivery model.
• Tarlton Corporation: St. Louis-based, 100% employee-owned general contractor/CM firm of comparable size serving education, healthcare, and commercial markets in Missouri and Illinois with similar CMAR delivery emphasis. Closest structural and geographic match to S. M. Wilson.
• BSI Constructors: St. Louis-area construction management and design-build firm with comparable revenue scale, sharing education, healthcare, and commercial clients across the Missouri-Illinois corridor.
• Holland Construction Services: Swansea, Illinois-based regional CM and design-build firm with comparable revenue band, focused on K-12, healthcare, and municipal work in the Metro East and broader Midwest.
• PARIC Corporation: St. Louis-based construction management and design-build firm serving higher education, healthcare, and senior living markets; overlaps S. M. Wilson in CMAR delivery and Midwest public-sector work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/s-m-wilson-co-122887924435959
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/107016

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 S. M. Wilson & Co.