What GSG Material Testing does

GSG Material Testing, Inc. (d/b/a GMT) is a privately held engineering consulting firm headquartered at 2945 West Harrison Street, Chicago, Illinois, that delivers construction materials testing, geotechnical evaluation, and field inspection services to public- and private-sector clients across northern Illinois. The firm is structured around two integrated offerings: (i) a state-of-the-art laboratory certified by the AASHTO Material Resource Laboratory (AMRL) and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), which performs soil, concrete, and hot-mix asphalt testing to AASHTO and ASTM procedures; and (ii) a Field Engineering & Testing service line that provides on-site QA/QC inspections during concrete placement, asphalt paving, earthwork compaction, structural steel erection, and pile driving, complemented by field instrumentation for settlement, lateral movement, and piezometric monitoring.

The business is personnel-driven and equipment-intensive rather than software-driven: IDOT- and ACI-certified field technicians execute nuclear density gauge tests, Slump/Air/Temperature checks, Schmidt (Swiss) Hammer readings, visual welding inspections, and non-destructive testing, with licensed professional engineers available for real-time technical support. The laboratory deploys calibrated apparatus for Proctor densities, Atterberg limits, CBR, triaxial (CU/UU) strength, consolidation, sieve and hydrometer analyses, gyratory compaction, ignition and solvent-extraction asphalt content, and concrete compressive and flexural strength.

Revenue is generated on a professional-services, per-project, quote-based model with no public pricing; clients are billed for laboratory testing fees, field inspection hours, and engineering consulting across the full project lifecycle. The go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales anchored by named relationships with major Illinois general contractors (Walsh Construction, Kiewit Western, Tishman Construction, Madison Construction, Herlihy Mid-Continent) and government/public clients including the Public Building Commission of Chicago, Chicago Public Schools, CTA, and Amtrak maintenance projects. The company is also a Certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE), which is operationalized as a competitive lever for public-sector bid set-asides and prime-contractor subcontracting credits. The firm has 11-50 employees, serves only the Northern Illinois market, and discloses no revenue, funding history, or M&A activity.

Name

GSG Material Testing

Legal name

GSG Material Testing, Inc.

Website

https://gsgtesting.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

GSG Material Testing, Inc. (GMT) is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm delivering AASHTO/IDOT-certified construction materials testing, geotechnical evaluation, and on-site QA/QC inspection services to general contractors, developers, and public-sector clients across northern Illinois.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Materials Testing and Engineering Services: Professional engineering and testing services provided to construction clients throughout the project lifecycle. Revenue is generated through laboratory testing fees, field inspection services, and consulting services for construction materials testing and quality assurance/quality control.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Core offering

GSG Material Testing provides construction materials testing and inspection services through two integrated offerings: an AMRL and IDOT-certified laboratory performing soil, concrete, and hot mix asphalt analysis following AASHTO and ASTM procedures, and field engineering/testing services that deliver on-site quality assurance and quality control during foundations, earthwork, concrete placement, asphalt compaction, steel erection, and pile driving. The firm serves as a single, dedicated materials testing laboratory throughout the project lifecycle for construction contractors, developers, government agencies, and educational institutions across northern Illinois.

Product overview

GSG Material Testing (GMT) provides materials engineering and testing services through two integrated core offerings: Laboratory Testing & Support (state-of-the-art AASHTO Material Resource Laboratory (AMRL) and IDOT-certified facility for soil, concrete, and asphalt analysis) and Field Engineering & Testing (quality assurance/quality control testing and inspections performed on construction sites). Together, these services support the complete construction lifecycle from subsurface evaluation through final inspection, enabling clients to work with a single dedicated materials testing provider from project inception to completion.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Laboratory Testing & Support State-of-the-art AMRL and IDOT certified laboratory providing soil, concrete, and hot mix asphalt testing services following AASHTO and ASTM procedures, including particle size analyses, Atterberg limits, Proctor densities, permeability, CBR tests, compressive strength tests, and asphalt content determination. For construction contractors, developers, government agencies, and educational institutions across northern Illinois.
• Field Engineering & Testing Quality assurance and quality control field testing and inspections during construction, including concrete testing, asphalt density testing, soils compaction verification, steel inspection, pile driving monitoring, and field instrumentation. Includes non-destructive testing, masonry inspection, fire proofing, and paint thickness inspection. For construction contractors, developers, government agencies, and educational institutions across northern Illinois.

Quantifiable outcome

• Rapid and timely test data turnaround necessary to meet the demands of diversified building environments
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Terracon Consultants: Largest U.S. geotechnical and construction materials testing firm with a national footprint. Directly comparable service mix (soils, concrete, asphalt, steel, NDT) and overlapping customer base of general contractors and public agencies, but with materially broader geographic reach and capacity.
• Professional Service Industries (PSI): Intertek-owned construction materials testing and engineering firm with national reach. Competes with GSG on the same QA/QC scope for soils, concrete, and asphalt, while PSI's broader network and corporate backing offer scale advantages on larger public-sector projects.

Regional players

• Wang Engineering: Illinois-based geotechnical and materials engineering firm. Comparable service portfolio and strong overlap with IDOT, CTA, and Chicago-area public infrastructure work — making it a direct local competitor for the same regional opportunities GSG pursues.
• Terra Engineering: Midwest-focused construction materials testing and engineering firm. Comparable in service offering and target customer base, particularly for IDOT and municipal clients in Illinois and Wisconsin.

Direct peers

• S&ME: Engineering firm providing geotechnical, environmental, and construction materials testing services across the Southeast and Midwest. Closely comparable in service mix, customer types, and project-based delivery model, making it a strong head-to-head competitor in overlapping markets.
• Rubino Engineering: Construction materials testing and geotechnical consulting firm serving the Chicago area. Closely comparable in service mix, customer base, and regional scope, making it one of the most direct head-to-head competitors in northern Illinois.
• GeoTechnology Associates: Geotechnical engineering and construction materials testing firm with Midwest presence. Directly comparable in core service offerings (soils, concrete, asphalt testing) and target customer segments including developers and public-sector clients.
• Atlas (formerly Gilson Engineering): Construction materials testing and inspection firm operating across the Midwest. Closely comparable service mix targeting the same general contractor and public agency customers, with similar field-and-lab delivery model.
• CME Engineering: Construction materials testing and inspection firm operating in the Midwest. Comparable in size and service scope, competing for similar contractor and government testing engagements across northern Illinois and adjacent states.
• ECS Group of Companies: Mid-Atlantic-rooted but nationally expanding construction materials testing and geotechnical engineering firm. Highly comparable service portfolio and customer base of contractors and developers; ECS's larger scale gives it bid advantages GSG must offset with credentials and relationships.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance5 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 GSG Material Testing