Cooley Construction
Cooley Construction is a third-generation, family-owned site-work and paving contractor based in Hesperia, California, serving public agencies and private developers across Southern California, Arizona, and Nevada with grading, paving, demolition, and asphalt services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1975
- HeadquartersHesperia, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Cooley Construction does
Cooley Construction Inc. is a third-generation, family-owned general engineering contractor headquartered in Hesperia, California. Founded in 1975 and incorporated in 1977, the firm operates across Southern California, Arizona, and Nevada, providing grading, paving, site demolition, and asphalt services to public agencies and private commercial and industrial clients.
The company's service portfolio centers on earthwork and asphalt paving for both horizontal construction (subdivisions, logistics sites, retail pads) and public infrastructure (highways, school campuses, agency facilities). It deploys a non-union direct-hire workforce with prevailing wage credentials, owns its earthmoving fleet, and uses Trimble GPS-enabled precision grading technology to manage earthwork volumes on complex sites. The historical track record includes large-scale subdivision grading (millions of cubic yards), 120,000 cubic-yard excavations for Walmart sites, 12,000-ton asphalt projects for Northrop Grumman, and logistics site work for FedEx and NextEra Energy.
Cooley pursues work via competitive bidding on public works (Cal-Trans / Department of Transportation, NASA-JPL, school districts) and negotiated contracts on private commercial and industrial projects. Customer segments span federal and state government, aerospace and defense, retail, logistics, energy, rail, and education. Revenue is generated through unit-priced and lump-sum construction contracts, with project scale ranging from small repairs to multi-million-dollar site packages. The firm is led by third-generation family principals Benjamin Cooley and Ron Walker, who assumed operating control in 2015.
Cooley Construction firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cooley Construction
- Legal name
- Cooley Construction Inc.
- Website
- https://cooleyconstruction.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1975
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Cooley Construction is a third-generation, family-owned site-work and paving contractor based in Hesperia, California, serving public agencies and private developers across Southern California, Arizona, and Nevada with grading, paving, demolition, and asphalt services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cooley Construction industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Civil Construction Services (Site Preparation, Grading, and Paving)
- NAICS
- Site Preparation Contractors (238910), Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction (237990)
- SIC
- Heavy Construction Other Than Bldg Const - Contractors (1600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Mass Excavation & Bulk Earthmoving (Cut/Fill, Grading) (IMAFAKAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Pavers & Road Construction Equipment (IMAHAAAI), Hauling, Spoil Management & Disposal (Muck Away) (IMAFAKAJ), Topsoil Stripping, Stockpiling & Reinstatement (IMAFAKAB)
Keywords
Where Cooley Construction is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hesperia
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Cooley Construction business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Construction Services - Project-Based: One-time project-based contracts for grading, paving, asphalt services, and site demolition. Revenue generated through competitive bidding on public works and private sector projects, with services ranging from small-scale to massive earthwork operations involving millions of cubic yards of dirt.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Quote-based project pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels1 record
Cooley Construction product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cooley Construction provides site preparation, grading, paving, and demolition services for public works and private sector clients across Southern California, Arizona, and Nevada. The company delivers end-to-end site development covering mass earthwork (from a few to millions of cubic yards), Trimble GPS precision grading, earthwork demolition, and asphalt paving for parking lots, subdivisions, city infrastructure, and private aviation facilities. Services are delivered through competitive bidding on one-time project contracts with government agencies, school districts, commercial developers, and industrial clients.
Product overview
Cooley Construction offers a unified suite of grading and paving services for Southern California. The core offerings include Mass Grade for large-scale earthmoving, Precise Grade utilizing Trimble GPS technology for accuracy, Site Demo for demolition, and Asphalt Services for paving. The company operates as a single-service construction firm rather than a modular platform, with services designed to work together on projects from site preparation through final paving.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Mass Grade Large-scale earthwork service for moving massive quantities of dirt, from a few cubic yards to millions of cubic yards. Designed to complete dirt work efficiently to save customers money.
- Precise Grade
Quantifiable outcome
- 80% market share in High Desert subdivisions through 1990
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Cooley Construction
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Cooley Construction technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Cooley Construction partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Cooley Construction competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- CalPortland Company: Major Western U.S. construction materials and paving contractor with California operations. Comparable asphalt paving and site work capabilities but at significantly larger scale with vertically integrated materials supply.
- Granite Construction: One of the largest U.S. heavy civil contractors with deep California roots in grading, paving, and infrastructure. Directly comparable services (mass grading, asphalt paving, site preparation) but operates at significantly larger national scale than Cooley.
- Ames Construction: National heavy civil and earthwork contractor with significant grading and paving capabilities. Comparable core service offering but operates at significantly larger scale across multiple western states.
- Vulcan Materials Company: Largest U.S. producer of construction aggregates and a major asphalt/paving provider. Adjacent/overlapping as a vertically integrated supplier and contractor, particularly relevant given Cooley's heavy reliance on aggregates and asphalt supply.
Direct peers
- Griffith Company: Long-established Southern California heavy civil contractor specializing in grading, paving, and concrete. Family-owned with comparable service mix and customer base including public agencies and private developers in the same SoCal geography.
- Security Paving Company: Southern California-based grading and paving contractor with overlapping service lines (mass grading, asphalt paving, site prep). Comparable size and regional focus, competing for many of the same Southern California public works and private clients.
- Sully-Miller Contracting: Southern California paving and grading contractor (subsidiary of BrightView historically, now Colas). Directly competes with Cooley on asphalt paving, site preparation, and public works grading throughout the LA/Inland Empire region.
- Herman Weissker Inc. Southern California earthwork, grading, and paving contractor. Similar privately held operating model serving public works and private development in the Inland Empire and High Desert regions directly overlapping Cooley's territory.
- Coffman Specialties: San Diego-based site preparation and concrete contractor with overlapping mass grading, site demo, and paving capabilities. Comparable family/private operating model serving Southern California public and private clients.
Regional players
- Ghilotti Construction Company: Northern California family-owned earthwork and grading contractor. Comparable private family-business model with mass grading, site prep, and paving services, but operates in the Bay Area/North Coast rather than Southern California.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Cooley Construction compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Cooley Construction financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cooley Construction leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Cooley Construction funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cooley Construction M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Cooley Construction
What does Cooley Construction do?
Cooley Construction provides site preparation, grading, paving, and demolition services for public works and private sector clients across Southern California, Arizona, and Nevada. The company delivers end-to-end site development covering mass earthwork (from a few to millions of cubic yards), Trimble GPS precision grading, earthwork demolition, and asphalt paving for parking lots, subdivisions, city infrastructure, and private aviation facilities. Services are delivered through competitive bidding on one-time project contracts with government agencies, school districts, commercial developers, and industrial clients.
Is Cooley Construction a public or private company?
Cooley Construction is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Cooley Construction founded?
Cooley Construction was founded in 1975. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Cooley Construction based?
Cooley Construction is headquartered in Hesperia, United States, in the North America region.
How does Cooley Construction make money?
One revenue line is on record: construction Services - Project-Based.
Who are Cooley Construction's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are CalPortland Company, Granite Construction, Ames Construction and Vulcan Materials Company. Direct peers are Griffith Company, Security Paving Company, Sully-Miller Contracting, Herman Weissker Inc. and Coffman Specialties. Ghilotti Construction Company is listed as a regional player.
Does Cooley Construction have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cooley Construction.
What industry is Cooley Construction in?
Cooley Construction's product category is Civil Construction Services (Site Preparation, Grading, and Paving). Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAFAKAC, Mass Excavation & Bulk Earthmoving (Cut/Fill, Grading), with a secondary code of IMAHAAAI, Pavers & Road Construction Equipment. Its NAICS code is 238910 and its SIC code is 1600.