What Straight Line Industries does

Straight Line Industries is a full-service pavement marking and roadway striping company headquartered in Cohoes, New York, that operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Safety Marking LLC (founded 1973 by Mark Kelly, headquartered in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and backed by middle-market private equity firm Highview Capital). The company serves state Departments of Transportation, county and municipal public works departments, tollway and port authorities, and major commercial airports along the eastern seaboard from Virginia to Maine.

The company organizes its offering into six service lines: Pavement Markings (epoxy, thermoplastic, paint, bike and bus lane markings, Black Aggregate, permanent tape); Airports (runway/gate/taxiway paint, rubber removal, PPG/Airmark thermoplastic); Pavement Marking Removal (grinding, hydroblasting, membrane removal, surface preparation); Recessed Markings (grooved and in-laid); Rumble Strips (sinusoidal, centerline, shoulder); and Special Services (GPS-guided layout, retroreflectivity testing). Equipment differentiation centers on a custom-built fleet that includes what the company describes as the largest hydroblasting units in the industry for airport rubber removal, custom-built airport striping trucks, precision milling rigs for sinusoidal rumble strips, and grooving equipment for in-laid markings.

Straight Line generates revenue through project-based contracts awarded primarily via government procurement, with pricing conducted on a quote basis that depends on surface type, area, and scope. The go-to-market motion is enterprise field sales targeting public-sector buyers, supported by a Request a Quote website flow and minimal digital marketing footprint. Customer relationships are long-tenured (some traceable to 1973) and concentrated in the Northeast, with marquee accounts including CTDOT, NYSDOT, Rhode Island DOT, the New York State Thruway Authority, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and major airports including LaGuardia, JFK, Newark, Boston Logan, Dulles, and Reagan National.

Name

Straight Line Industries

Legal name

Safety Marking LLC

Website

https://straightlineind.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Highway and Airport Pavement Marking Services

akta.pro primary industry

Temporary Pavement Markings & Delineation (Tape, Temporary Striping, Raised Markers) (TLAJALAE)

Keywords

• Highway pavement marking
• Airport runway striping
• Rumble strip installation
• Pavement marking removal
• Roadway striping services

Headquarters

HQ city

Cohoes

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Pavement Marking Services: Provides highway, airport, and roadway striping services to government transportation departments and municipal clients on a project basis.
2. Specialty Marking Services: Additional services including GPS layout, retroreflectivity testing, rumble strip installation, and marking removal services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Straight Line Industries is a full-service highway and roadway pavement marking contractor that applies pavement markings (epoxy, thermoplastic, paint, permanent tape, bike and bus lane markings), strips and re-marks runways/taxiways/gates at major airports, mills rumble strips, and removes markings via grinding and hydroblasting. The company serves state DOTs, airport authorities, and municipal public works departments across the Northeast United States using a technically advanced fleet.

Product overview

Straight Line Industries is a full-service highway and roadway pavement marking company offering a unified service portfolio organized around six core service lines: Pavement Markings (epoxy, thermoplastic, paint, bike/bus lane markings, black aggregate, permanent tape), Airports (runway/gate/taxiway paint, rubber removal, PPG/Airmark), Pavement Marking Removal (grinding, hydroblasting, membrane removal, surface preparation), Recessed Markings (grooved, in-laid), Rumble Strips (sinusoidal, centerline, shoulder), and Special Services (GPS layout, retroreflectivity testing). The company operates a technically advanced fleet with a highly trained workforce serving government transportation agencies across the Northeast United States.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pavement Marking Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Residue-free hydroblasting with virtually no pavement damage
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Connecticut Department of TransportationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing customer relationship since 1973. CTDOT is a primary government customer for highway and roadway pavement marking services across Connecticut.
• New York State Department of TransportationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary government customer for pavement marking services across New York state. Straight Line operates as a trusted subcontractor for NYSDOT projects.
• Rhode Island Department of TransportationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing customer relationship for roadway and highway pavement marking services in Rhode Island.
• Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor customer for airport and tollway pavement marking services across the New York/New Jersey metropolitan region.
• Nassau County Department of Public WorksmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCounty government customer for pavement marking and public works infrastructure projects in Nassau County, NY.
• Dutchess County Department of Public WorksmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCounty government customer for pavement marking services in Dutchess County, NY.
• Westchester County Dept of Public WorksmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCounty government customer for pavement marking and public works projects in Westchester County, NY.
• Capital Region of Governments (CT)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional planning organization customer for transportation infrastructure pavement marking projects in Connecticut.
• New York Thruway AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary customer for toll road pavement marking and safety marking services on the New York State Thruway.
• Sherwin-WilliamscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey materials supplier and trusted partner. Bob Groundwater, Account Executive at Sherwin-Williams, has known Mark Kelly since the late 80s and describes Safety Marking as incredibly professional and quality-driven with jobs that never cut corners.
• EpolexmajorTechnology or IntegrationMaterials supplier partner for pavement marking products and solutions.
• Potters IndustriesmajorTechnology or IntegrationMaterials supplier partner providing glass beads and other pavement marking components.
• 3M ProductsmajorTechnology or IntegrationSupplier of 3M pavement marking products and materials for airport and highway applications.
• PPGmajorTechnology or IntegrationSupplier of PPG paint and coating products for pavement marking applications.
• SwarcomajorTechnology or IntegrationSupplier of Swarco pavement marking materials and products.
• Franklin PaintmajorTechnology or IntegrationSupplier of Franklin Paint products for pavement marking applications.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• 3M: Global materials supplier of pavement marking tapes, reflective sheeting, and road safety products. A current materials supplier to Straight Line but also an adjacent incumbent whose Connected Roads and infrastructure safety offerings overlap thematically.
• Swarco: International provider of road marking materials, signage, and traffic management solutions. Comparable as a current materials supplier with a broader road infrastructure portfolio that touches the same end-customer ecosystem.
• PPG Industries: Global coatings manufacturer supplying pavement marking paints and thermoplastics (Airmark) used by airport and highway contractors. Comparable as a key materials supplier (current partner) with overlapping presence in the pavement marking value chain.

Direct peers

• Stripe-A-Zone: Pavement marking and traffic control services contractor serving DOTs, municipalities, and airports across multiple U.S. regions. Comparable on striping, marking removal, and rumble strip services for government customers.
• TRP (Traffic Products & Services): Regional pavement marking and traffic control contractor offering highway striping, airport markings, and roadway safety services to public agencies. Comparable on customer base, service mix, and project-based delivery.
• Vulcan Inc. (pavement marking): Highway and airfield pavement marking contractor providing striping, surface preparation, and marking removal services. Comparable on FAA-regulated airport marking capabilities and DOT contract work.
• RoadSafe Traffic Systems: National pavement marking, traffic control, and highway services contractor offering striping, rumble strips, signage, and road safety services to DOTs and contractors. Closely comparable business model with broader geographic reach and overlapping airport/roadway capabilities.
• Hi-Lite Solutions: Pavement marking services and equipment provider focused on highway, airport, and municipal striping contracts. Comparable on airport runway marking and waterblast removal capabilities.
• Safety Marking LLC: Parent company of Straight Line Industries; provides the same full-service highway, airport, and roadway pavement marking offerings across Connecticut and the Northeast. Most directly comparable on services, customers, and operating model — effectively the same platform.

Regional players

• Midwest Highway Striping: Regional pavement striping and pavement marking removal contractor serving state DOTs in the Midwest U.S. Comparable service mix but operates in a different geographic territory from Straight Line's Northeast focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Straight Line Industries