Kernen Construction

What Kernen Construction does

Kernen Construction, formally Kernen Construction Building and Engineering Contractors, is a privately held, vertically integrated construction and aggregate production company headquartered in McKinleyville, California. Founded in 1986, the firm serves commercial and private clients across Northern California, with an operational footprint that includes its main office on Glendale Drive, the Glendale Yard quarry near Blue Lake, a quarry site at Miranda, and an asphalt concrete, washed aggregate, and sand facility on Hatchery Road. The company offers seven integrated service lines: bridges, concrete construction, Varco Pruden pre-engineered metal buildings, machine shop/welding/repairs, excavating/grading/paving, rock and asphalt products, and trucking and lowboy services. It is also a licensed drilling and blasting contractor with all necessary California permits.

Kernen owns the upstream materials supply chain: company-operated quarries and portable crushing equipment capable of producing up to 3,000 tons per day of aggregate base and rock products, including Caltrans class 2 recycled aggregate base produced from waste concrete, asphalt, bricks, glass, and ceramics accepted for free at the Glendale facility. The technology stack is physical-asset heavy: portable crushers, drilling and blasting rigs, an in-house machine shop, and a trucking fleet, supplemented by current California Air Resources Board permits to operate portable crushing equipment statewide. The firm received a 2004 Humboldt County Division of Environmental Health award for its recycling program.

The business model is project-based, bid-driven, and almost entirely reliant on word-of-mouth referrals and repeat business rather than formal marketing. Revenue is generated from one-time commercial construction contracts (site preparation, highway construction, paving, concrete, bridges, metal buildings) and from direct sales of rock, asphalt, recycled aggregate, and sand to construction material buyers. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Customer segments include commercial construction projects, private property owners needing driveway and small-site work, and other construction companies purchasing aggregate and asphalt products. The company is founder-owned and privately held, with no disclosed institutional investors, funding rounds, parent company, or M&A activity.

Name

Kernen Construction

Legal name

Kernen Construction Building and Engineering Contractors

Website

https://kernenconstruction.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kernen Construction is a privately held, vertically integrated Northern California construction firm founded in 1986, offering bridges, concrete, metal buildings, excavating/grading/paving, drilling and blasting, trucking, and own-quarry rock and asphalt products to commercial and private clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

General Construction Services

NAICS

Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction (237), Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction (237310), Poured Concrete Foundation and Structure Contractors (23811)

SIC

Heavy Construction Other Than Bldg Const - Contractors (1600), General Bldg Contractors - Nonresidential Bldgs (1540)

akta.pro primary industry

Construction Aggregates Mining & Processing (Sand, Gravel, Crushed Stone) (IMADAAAI)

Keywords

• General construction services
• Aggregate production
• Excavating grading paving
• Bridge construction
• Quarry rock supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Mckinleyville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Construction Services: Project-based construction services including bridges, concrete construction, metal buildings, machine shop/welding, excavating/grading/paving, and trucking/lowboy services. Revenue generated through competitive bidding on commercial and private construction projects.
2. Rock and Asphalt Products: Production and sale of rock and asphalt products including recycled aggregate base, rip rap, screened quarry rock, asphalt concrete, washed aggregate, and sand. Products meet Caltrans class 2 aggregate base specifications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Kernen Construction provides general construction services and construction materials across Northern California, including bridges, concrete construction, Varco Pruden metal buildings, machine shop/welding/repairs, excavating/grading/paving, rock and asphalt products/services, and trucking and lowboy services. The company self-supplies many of its construction materials through company-owned quarries and portable crushing equipment producing up to 3,000 tons of aggregate base and rock products per day.

Product overview

Kernen Construction is a Northern California construction company offering an integrated suite of construction services and material products. The company operates seven core service lines: Bridges, Concrete Construction, Varco Pruden Metal Buildings, Machine Shop/Welding/Repairs, Excavating/Grading/Paving, Rock & Asphalt Products/Services, and Trucking and Lowboy Services. Kernen Construction owns quarries and operates portable crushing equipment capable of producing up to 3000 tons per day of aggregate products. The company also provides drilling and blasting services under California permits. These services are designed to handle commercial projects from site preparation through final paving and inspection.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bridge Construction Bridge construction services for commercial and infrastructure projects in Northern California.
• Concrete Construction Concrete construction services including slabs and commercial concrete work.
• Varco Pruden Metal Buildings Pre-engineered metal building construction services through Varco Pruden partnership.
• Machine Shop / Welding / Repairs Full-service machine shop offering welding and repair services for construction equipment and components.
• Excavating / Grading / Paving Site preparation, excavation, grading, and asphalt concrete paving services for commercial jobs from start to finish.
• Rock & Asphalt Products / Services Production and sale of rock, asphalt, recycled aggregate base, rip rap, washed aggregate, and sand using portable crushing equipment producing up to 3,000 tons per day.
• Trucking and Lowboy Services Heavy equipment trucking and lowboy transportation services for construction materials and equipment.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 3000 tons per day production capacity

Named customers1 record

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

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Teichert Construction: Sacramento-based heavy construction contractor and aggregate producer serving Northern California. Direct peer because Kernen and Teichert both integrate construction services with owned quarries and aggregate production in the same geography.
• Mercer-Fraser Company: Private Northern California heavy/civil contractor based in Humboldt County area offering grading, paving, aggregate production, and structural construction. Direct peer because of overlapping geography, service mix, and aggregate-backed vertical integration.
• DeSilva Gates Construction: Northern California heavy/civil contractor focused on grading, paving, aggregate, and structural work. Direct peer because of similar service mix (grading, paving, aggregates) and same California geography.

Broad incumbents

• Granite Construction Incorporated: Publicly traded heavy civil construction and materials producer with significant Northern California operations. Broad incumbent because it competes in the same bridge, highway, and aggregate markets but at far larger scale and across multiple states.
• Vulcan Materials Company: Largest U.S. producer of construction aggregates with California operations. Broad incumbent in the aggregate market that competes with Kernen's quarry and rock products offering.
• CalPortland Company: Major Western U.S. cement, concrete, and aggregate producer. Broad incumbent supplying Caltrans-spec materials and competing with Kernen's aggregate and ready-mix supply lines in California.
• Martin Marietta Materials: National aggregate and heavy construction materials producer. Broad incumbent in aggregate supply that competes with Kernen's rock and asphalt products at the materials level.

Regional players

• Wahlund Construction: Small Northern California general engineering contractor based in Eureka (adjacent Humboldt County market). Regional peer because of close geography and similar heavy/civil scope though smaller scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kernen-construction

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Kernen Construction