Portland Utilities Construction

What Portland Utilities Construction does

Portland Utilities Construction Co., LLC (PUCC) is a privately held trenchless pipe rehabilitation contractor founded in 1991 by Ernie Woodcock and headquartered in Portland, Tennessee. The company specializes in two core trenchless methods — pipe bursting (which fractures existing pipe while pulling in new HDPE pipe) and UV CIPP fiberglass lining (ultra-violet-cured, glass-reinforced cured-in-place pipe with a 50-year design life) — supplemented by Close Tolerance Pipe Replacement (CTPR/CTHDD) for situations where soil displacement is undesirable, plus CCTV inspection, internal spot repair, and Sewer System Evaluation Study (SSES) services. PUCC is a licensed installer of RELINE AMERICA's UV CIPP product and serves municipal governments, utility districts, and water authorities across 15 states and the District of Columbia, with division offices in Knoxville, TN and Houston, TX.

The company's revenue model is project-based construction services delivered through competitively bid public works contracts, with over $300 million in cumulative project value and more than 3.5 million linear feet of pipe rehabilitated since inception. Go-to-market is direct field sales to municipalities and utility districts, supported by technical content, case studies, and active participation in industry bodies such as the International Pipe Bursting Association (IPBA) and NASTT's Pipe Bursting Center of Excellence. Customer engagements are long-cycle and reference-driven, with repeat relationships across named clients including the City of Portland TN, Knoxville Utilities Board, Harriman Utility Board, Hanover County Public Utilities, and Western Virginia Water Authority.

In July 2023, PUCC was acquired by Aegion Corporation, which rebranded as Azuria Water Solutions in April 2024; PUCC continues as a trusted operating company under the Azuria family. The business is led by a second-generation team including founder Ernie Woodcock (President), Mike Woodcock (Vice President; Vice-Chairman of NASTT's Pipe Bursting Center of Excellence), Greg Woodcock (Pipe Burst Technician), Michael E. Woodcock (General Manager), and Tracy Weaver (Contract Manager), supported by a workforce of 101-250 employees across multiple regional operating divisions.

Name

Portland Utilities Construction

Legal name

Portland Utilities Construction Co., LLC

Website

https://pucc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Portland Utilities Construction provides trenchless pipe rehabilitation services — pipe bursting, UV CIPP lining, and close tolerance HDD — to municipalities, utility districts, and water authorities across 15 states and DC, operating as a subsidiary of Azuria Water Solutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trenchless Pipe Rehabilitation Services

NAICS

Water and Sewer Line and Related Structures Construction (237110)

SIC

Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623)

akta.pro primary industry

Rehabilitation, Lining & Renewal (Pipe Relining, Trenchless Rehab, Asset Renewal) (IMAFAGAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Trenchless Sewer Replacement (Pipe Bursting) (HSAOABAI), Trenchless Sewer Repair (Pipe Lining/CIPP) (HSAOABAH)

Keywords

• Trenchless pipe rehabilitation
• Sewer line pipe bursting
• Water main replacement
• UV CIPP pipe lining
• Underground utility construction

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Trenchless Construction Services: Project-based construction services for municipal sewer and water pipe rehabilitation. Revenue generated through competitively bid public works contracts for pipe bursting, CIPP lining, and related services.
2. Sewer System Evaluation Services: Sanitary Sewer Evaluation Study (SSES) projects including smoke testing, CCTV inspection, and manhole inspections for municipal clients.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Portland Utilities Construction provides trenchless sewer and water pipeline rehabilitation and replacement services for municipalities, utility districts, and water authorities. Its core methods are Pipe Bursting (static and pneumatic) and UV Cured-in-Place Pipe (CIPP) fiberglass lining, supplemented by Close Tolerance Pipe Replacement, CCTV inspection and cleaning, lateral pipe bursting, internal spot repair, and Sanitary Sewer Evaluation Study (SSES) services. The company delivers these services through directly managed field crews under competitively bid public works contracts across 15 states and the District of Columbia.

Product overview

Portland Utilities Construction Company (PUCC) offers a suite of trenchless pipe rehabilitation and replacement services built around two primary technologies: Pipe Bursting and UV CIPP (Cured-in-Place Piping). The core service portfolio includes Sewer Line Pipe Bursting and Water Line Pipe Bursting for replacing aging mains, supplemented by UV CIPP Fiberglass Lining for rehabilitation without excavation. Supporting services include CCTV and Cleaning Services, Internal Spot Repair, Sewer System Evaluation, Service Connections, and Lateral Pipe Bursting for individual property connections. The company also offers Close Tolerance Pipe Replacement as an alternative when soil displacement must be avoided, utilizing Close Tolerance Horizontal Direction Drilling (CTHDD) technology. Founded in 1991 and operating as part of Azuria Water Solutions since 2024, PUCC provides these services across 15 states and the District of Columbia from offices in Portland, TN, Knoxville, TN, and Houston, TX.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sewer Line Pipe Bursting Trenchless rehabilitation of existing sewer pipes by fracturing the old pipe while simultaneously pulling in new HDPE pipe, allowing replacement without excavation. Capable of upsizing from 6-inch to 8-inch diameter. Sold to municipalities and utility districts through competitive public bidding.
• Water Line Pipe Bursting Trenchless replacement of aging water mains and distribution lines using pipe bursting technology to install new water lines with minimal disruption to streets, landscapes, and businesses. Sold to water authorities, utility districts, and municipalities.
• UV CIPP Fiberglass Lining Ultra-violet glass reinforced cured-in-place pipe (UV CIPP) rehabilitation of faulty sewer pipe lines using technology licensed from RELINE AMERICA. Provides 4-8 times the strength of traditional felt liners, eliminates wrinkles and cool spots, has no styrene discharge, and offers a 50-year design life. Sold to municipal and utility clients.
• Service Connections Reconnection of sewer and water service connections during pipe bursting processes, including hard reconnections at the main line using electrofuse saddles, rubber saddles, PVC saddles, or Inserta Tees. Sold as part of rehabilitation project delivery to municipalities and utilities.
• CCTV and Cleaning Services Closed-circuit television inspection and sewer line cleaning services using TV and flush truck crews with vocational fleet equipment to assess pipe conditions before and after rehabilitation. Sold to municipal and utility clients.
• Internal Spot Repair Localized pipe patch technology for targeted repairs of sewer pipes without full replacement. Sold to municipalities and utility districts as a standalone repair option.
• Sewer System Evaluation Sanitary Sewer Evaluation Study (SSES) projects including smoke testing, CCTV inspection, and manhole inspections for municipalities to identify rehabilitation needs. Sold to municipal and utility clients.
• Lateral Pipe Bursting Pipe bursting method applied to sewer lateral service lines connecting homes and businesses to mains, used to reduce inflow and infiltration (I/I) problems. Capable of upsizing existing laterals. Sold to municipalities and utility districts.
• Close Tolerance Pipe Replacement Trenchless installation method using ArrowBore/Close Tolerance Horizontal Directional Drilling (CTHDD) technology as an alternative to pipe bursting when soil displacement is undesirable, such as shallow pipe, buried structure conflicts, utilities, foundations, underground pools, and no-vibration requirements. Drills a hole only 1/4 inch larger than the new pipe to prevent floating, humps, and sags. Sold to municipalities and utility clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 3,500,000 LF of sewer and water pipe rehabilitated across 15 states and DC
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• RELINE AMERICAcoreTechnology or IntegrationRELINE AMERICA provides UV CIPP equipment and liners for Portland Utilities Construction's UV CIPP fiberglass lining services. PUCC is a licensed installer of RELINE AMERICA's UV CIPP product, which uses ultra-violet light cure technology for sewer pipe rehabilitation.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SAK Construction: SAK Construction is a direct competitor offering trenchless pipeline rehabilitation, including pipe bursting, CIPP lining, and sewer system evaluation services for municipal and utility clients across the US Midwest and Southeast.
• Visu-Sewer: Visu-Sewer is a specialty contractor providing trenchless sewer rehabilitation services including CIPP lining, pipe bursting, and manhole rehabilitation to municipal and utility clients in the Midwest and beyond.
• National Water Main Cleaning Co. National Water Main Cleaning Co. is one of the largest US contractors specializing in sewer and water main cleaning, inspection, and trenchless rehabilitation for municipal clients.
• Insituform Technologies: Insituform is a leading CIPP technology and installation company that is now a sister subsidiary of PUCC under Azuria Water Solutions, offering overlapping trenchless rehabilitation capabilities to utilities and municipalities.
• Lanzo Trenchless Technologies: Lanzo Trenchless Technologies specializes in microtunneling, pipe bursting, and CIPP rehabilitation for sewer, water, and stormwater systems for municipal clients in the US.
• Performance Pipeline Technologies: Performance Pipeline Technologies provides trenchless pipe rehabilitation services, including pipe bursting and CIPP lining, primarily serving municipal and utility clients in the US.
• Granite Inliner: Granite Inliner is a CIPP lining and trenchless rehabilitation contractor serving municipal sewer and stormwater systems across multiple US regions, directly competing with PUCC on UV CIPP and pipe bursting bids.

Broad incumbents

• Michels Corporation: Michels is a large diversified infrastructure contractor offering pipeline construction, trenchless rehabilitation, and utility services nationwide - a much broader incumbent competing for municipal pipe rehab contracts.
• Azuria Water Solutions (formerly Aegion Corporation): Azuria Water Solutions is the corporate parent of PUCC and operates multiple trenchless rehabilitation brands (Insituform, Fibrwrap) across a much broader geographic and service footprint, making it both the parent and a broader market incumbent.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/puccorg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Portland Utilities Construction