TAO

What TAO does

TAO, LTD. is a privately held, design-build plumbing contractor headquartered in Livermore, California, serving the San Francisco Bay Area. The company designs and installs plumbing systems for new commercial and residential construction, tenant improvement projects ranging from 500 to 500,000 square feet, and ground-up developments across hospitality (Marriott-branded hotels), multi-family residential and student housing, senior living, logistics facilities (FedEx, DHL, Prologis), and retail (Best Buy, Costco). TAO differentiates through deep expertise in California Title 24 energy and water efficiency compliance, established relationships with Bay Area city building departments, and integrated design-build capabilities supported by CAD-based detailing and Procore-based project management.

The company's core service lines are Consultation and Design, Advanced Plumbing Systems, Remodeling and Retrofits, Estimating Services, Tenant Improvement Projects, Plan-Spec and Design-Build Ground-Up Projects, and Green/Sustainable Plumbing Solutions. Revenue is generated through project-based, competitively bid contracts with general contractors and property developers, with pricing determined per project scope rather than disclosed publicly. The team includes a President (Justin Swiers), Chief Estimator (Doug Anderson, since 1996), Senior Estimator, additional estimators, a Designer/Detailer, a Project Manager, and dedicated accounting, purchasing/safety, and office management functions. Ownership is family-controlled (Swiers family) with no disclosed institutional investors or parent company.

Name

TAO

Legal name

TAO, LTD.

Website

https://taoltd.us

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

TAO, LTD. is a privately held, Bay Area design-build plumbing contractor providing Title 24 compliant plumbing design and installation for commercial, residential, hospitality, logistics, and retail construction projects, serving general contractors and developers via competitive bidding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Plumbing Contracting Services

NAICS

Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors (238220), Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors (23822)

SIC

Construction - Special Trade Contractors (1700)

akta.pro primary industry

Plumbing & Pipefitting Contracting (IMAFALAC)

Keywords

• Design-build plumbing
• Commercial plumbing services
• Tenant improvement plumbing
• Title 24 compliance
• Sustainable plumbing solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Livermore

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Plumbing Design-Build Services: Full-service plumbing design and installation for new construction projects including hotels, apartments, student housing, senior living, and commercial buildings. Revenue is project-based, generated through competitive bidding and negotiated contracts with general contractors and property developers.
2. Tenant Improvement (TI) Projects: Plumbing solutions for tenant improvement projects ranging from 500 to 500,000 square feet, focusing on water management, fixture retrofits, and Title 24 compliance for commercial and residential renovations.
3. Consultation and Design Services: Plumbing design/build scopes for tenant improvements and new construction projects of all phases and sizes, including relationship management with Bay Area city building departments.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

TAO, LTD. is a design-build plumbing contractor delivering integrated plumbing design, engineering, and installation services for new construction and tenant improvement projects across the San Francisco Bay Area. The company serves commercial, residential, hospitality, industrial, retail, and logistics facilities, with project scopes ranging from 500 sq. ft. tenant improvements to 500,000 sq. ft. ground-up developments. Services include consultation and design, advanced plumbing system installation, remodeling and retrofits, estimating, plan-spec and design-build ground-up construction, and green/sustainable plumbing solutions meeting California Title 24 standards.

Product overview

TAO, LTD is a design build plumbing contractor offering a comprehensive suite of services for residential, commercial, and municipal projects. The company's offerings include Consultation and Design, Advanced Plumbing Systems, and Remodeling and Retrofits as core service areas. For project delivery, TAO provides Estimating Services, Tenant Improvement (TI) Projects for spaces ranging from 500 to 500,000 sq. ft., and Plan-Spec and Design-Build Ground-Up Projects for hotels, student housing, apartments, and senior living communities. The company also emphasizes Green/Sustainable Plumbing Solutions incorporating Title 24 compliance and eco-friendly practices. TAO serves the San Francisco Bay Area and works with general contractors including Shames Construction, Johnstonemoyer Inc, Buildgroup Construction, Riaz Capital, West Builders, Swenson Builders, Cahill Construction, WL Butler Construction, and others.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Consultation and Design Expert advice and tailored plumbing designs that meet specific project requirements, providing insights to enhance efficiency and effectiveness for residential and commercial clients.
• Advanced Plumbing Systems Cutting-edge plumbing installations for modern residential and commercial needs, delivering quality workmanship that ensures reliability.
• Remodeling and Retrofits Modernization and optimization of plumbing systems through upgrades, layout reconfigurations, and energy-efficient replacements for multi-family residential and commercial renovations.
• Estimating Services Plumbing estimating services offering over 50 years of hands-on technical expertise, providing superior cost-effective approaches to overall project planning.
• Tenant Improvement (TI) Projects Plumbing solutions for tenant improvements ranging from 500 sq. ft. to 500,000 sq. ft., with focus on water management, conservation, and California Title 24 compliance.
• Plan-Spec and Design-Build Ground-Up Projects Comprehensive plumbing design and installation for hotels, student housing, apartments, and senior living communities, meeting Title 24 standards with advanced water management practices.
• Green/Sustainable Plumbing Solutions Eco-friendly plumbing assessment programs utilizing state-of-the-art efficient fixtures to maximize savings and reduce operating and maintenance costs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Tenant improvement projects ranging from 500 sq. ft. to 500,000 sq. ft.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Shames ConstructioncoreOthersGeneral contractor that hires TAO for plumbing design-build services on construction projects in the Bay Area.
• JohnstoneMoyer InccoreOthersGeneral contractor that hires TAO for plumbing design-build services on construction projects in the Bay Area.
• BuildGroup ConstructioncoreOthersGeneral contractor that hires TAO for plumbing design-build services on construction projects in the Bay Area.
• Riaz CapitalcoreOthersDeveloper/contractor that hires TAO for plumbing design-build services on construction projects in the Bay Area.
• WEST BuilderscoreOthersGeneral contractor that hires TAO for plumbing design-build services on construction projects in the Bay Area.
• Swenson BuilderscoreOthersGeneral contractor that hires TAO for plumbing design-build services on construction projects in the Bay Area.
• Cahill ConstructioncoreOthersGeneral contractor that hires TAO for plumbing design-build services on construction projects in the Bay Area.
• WL Butler ConstructioncoreOthersGeneral contractor that hires TAO for plumbing design-build services on construction projects in the Bay Area.
• Advanced Construction Livermore, CAcoreOthersGeneral contractor that hires TAO for plumbing design-build services on construction projects in the Bay Area.
• Garden City Construction San Jose, CAcoreOthersGeneral contractor that hires TAO for plumbing design-build services on construction projects in the Bay Area.
• Tech City Builders San Jose, CAcoreOthersGeneral contractor that hires TAO for plumbing design-build services on construction projects in the Bay Area.
• W.E. O'Neil Pleasanton, CAcoreOthersGeneral contractor that hires TAO for plumbing design-build services on construction projects in the Bay Area.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• ARS / Rescue Rooter: American Residential Services (ARS) is a large national residential HVAC, plumbing, and drain services provider. Comparable to TAO as a broad plumbing industry incumbent, but operates at much larger scale and with a primarily residential service focus rather than commercial design-build.
• Roto-Rooter: National plumbing and drain services company with both residential and commercial plumbing offerings. Comparable to TAO as a large incumbent in the broader plumbing services market, though Roto-Rooter is far larger and more focused on service/repair than design-build new construction.
• Benjamin Franklin Plumbing: Nationally franchised residential and commercial plumbing brand. Comparable to TAO as a broad plumbing incumbent, though its franchise structure and residential service emphasis differs from TAO's Bay Area design-build commercial model.
• Mr. Rooter Plumbing: Nationally franchised plumbing service brand serving residential and commercial customers across the U.S. Comparable to TAO as a broad plumbing market incumbent, but operates primarily through a franchise service model rather than TAO's design-build commercial contracting focus.

Direct peers

• Pacific Plumbing Group: Commercial plumbing contractor serving the Western U.S., including multifamily, hospitality, and tenant improvement projects. Comparable to TAO as a direct peer offering commercial design-build plumbing for the same end-customer verticals (hotels, apartments, retail, offices).
• Bell Brothers Plumbing: Northern California plumbing services company serving residential and commercial customers in the Bay Area / Sacramento region. Comparable to TAO as a regional direct peer with similar plumbing trade contracting capabilities in the same geographic market.
• Crown Plumbing: Northern California commercial and residential plumbing contractor serving the greater Sacramento and Bay Area region. Comparable to TAO as a regional plumbing design-build peer serving similar commercial and multifamily customers in Northern California.
• George Brazil Plumbing & Drain: Bay Area plumbing services company serving residential and commercial customers in the San Francisco Bay Area. Comparable to TAO as a regional direct peer operating in the same metropolitan market with overlapping plumbing service capabilities.

Regional players

• Goettl Air Conditioning & Plumbing: Western U.S. residential and light commercial HVAC and plumbing services company. Comparable to TAO as a regional specialty trade player, though Goettl is more HVAC-weighted and residential service-oriented than TAO's commercial design-build plumbing focus.

Others

• ServiceMaster Restore: National home and commercial services franchise including water damage mitigation and plumbing-related restoration. Comparable to TAO only loosely, as a tangential home services player with some plumbing-adjacent work rather than a direct design-build plumbing competitor.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights1 record

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tao-ltd.

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 TAO