EMPIRE EQUIPMENT SERVICE INC

What EMPIRE EQUIPMENT SERVICE INC does

Empire Equipment Service, Inc. is a privately-held general engineering contractor headquartered in Riverside, California, founded in 2003 by Josh Steffy. The firm specializes in earthwork and underground utilities for civil construction projects, serving residential, commercial, and federal customers across Southern California and beyond. Its core service portfolio spans wet utilities (sewer, water, storm drain ranging from 4 to 24 inches), dry utilities (electric, telephone, TV, internet, gas), mass grading and excavation, concrete structures (headwalls, ramps, swales), and design/build project delivery. The firm also operates an on-site batch plant and crusher for remote soil-cement operations, a Premiere Storm Capture system for urban storm water applications, and drone mapping for site assessments.

The company generates revenue through project-based construction contracts with both private developers and public entities, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, USDA Forest Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and San Bernardino Valley Water Conservation District. Notable executed projects include a 130-acre clearing, 300,000 cubic-yard excavation, and 5,500-foot dike construction for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, structural flood mitigation at Cottonwood Cove for the National Park Service, and debris diversion infrastructure for the San Bernardino Valley Water Conservation District. The firm holds Veriforce certification for SoCal Gas operations.

Empire Equipment Service remains founder- and family-owned, with Josh Steffy as President and his wife Lucy Steffy as Vice President. The company is privately held with no institutional investors, no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no funding rounds disclosed. It operates from a single Riverside, California headquarters, serves a regional market, and distributes through direct project contracts rather than traditional channels. Its go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-based, relying on past performance credentials, regulatory certifications, and field reputation to win competitive bids.

Name

EMPIRE EQUIPMENT SERVICE INC

Legal name

EMPIRE EQUIPMENT SERVICE, INC

Website

https://empireequipmentservice.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Empire Equipment Service is a family-owned general engineering contractor founded in 2003 in Riverside, California, specializing in earthwork and underground utilities for civil construction. The firm serves federal agencies including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, USDA Forest Service, National Park Service, and Bureau of Land Management, alongside private residential and commercial developers across Southern California.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Construction Services

NAICS

Water and Sewer Line and Related Structures Construction (237110)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Distribution Network Construction (Feeders, Laterals, Service Drops) (IMAFAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Construction Management & Delivery (EPCM/CMAR/Design-Build Oversight) (EUANALAE), Public Works Departments (Streets, Bridges, Stormwater, Fleet, Maintenance) (BPAIALAD)

Keywords

• Earthwork construction
• Underground utilities
• Civil construction
• Site development
• Grading excavation

Headquarters

HQ city

Riverside

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Construction Contracting Services: General engineering contractor providing earthwork, underground utilities (sewer, water, storm drain), grading, excavation, and dry utilities services for residential, commercial, and federal projects. Revenue generated through project-based construction contracts with both private and public entities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Empire Equipment Service is a general engineering contractor providing earthwork, underground utilities installation (sewer, water, storm drain), grading, excavation, and dry utilities services. The company serves residential, commercial, and federal government projects throughout Southern California, with capabilities including sewer/water line installation, storm drain systems, concrete structures, mass grading, and design/build project delivery.

Product overview

Empire Equipment Service is a general engineering contractor offering an integrated portfolio of construction services for Southern California. The company's core offerings center on earthwork and underground utilities installation, including sewer and water systems, storm drains, concrete structures, grading and excavation, and dry utilities (electric, telephone, TV, internet, gas). Additional services include design/build project delivery, storm capture systems, drone mapping for site assessments, equipment rental, emergency repair services, and federal project work. The company operates as a unified service offering with multiple specialized capabilities that can be deployed individually or in combination for comprehensive site work projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sewer & Water Installation
• Storm Drain Services
• Grading & Excavation
• Dry Utilities Installation
• Concrete Structures
• Design/Build Services
• Storm Capture System
• Federal Project Services
• Emergency Repair Services
• Equipment Rental

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 20 years of experience delivering quality professional work
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Feature3 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Teichert Construction: Larger California-headquartered heavy civil contractor with grading, underground utilities, and infrastructure capabilities across the state. Broader portfolio and scale than Empire, but materially overlapping in core earthwork and utility services.
• Granite Construction: Large publicly traded infrastructure and construction materials company with significant California operations spanning transportation, water resources, and underground utilities. Same industry category and customer types, but at materially greater scale, geographic reach, and capital access.
• Ames Construction: Large national heavy civil and earthwork contractor with significant western U.S. operations across grading, excavation, and infrastructure. Comparable in heavy earthwork execution and federal project delivery, but at substantially greater scale and capital access.

Direct peers

• R.J. Noble Company: Orange County-based grading, excavation, and underground utility contractor serving Southern California. Directly comparable in core earthwork and wet utility scope with overlapping public and private clientele.
• Sukut Construction: California-based heavy civil and earthwork contractor with mass grading, excavation, and infrastructure experience across public agencies. Comparable in earthmoving scale, federal project delivery, and utility infrastructure work.
• Griffith Company: Southern California-based general engineering contractor with deep public works, earthwork, and underground utilities capabilities across the region. Closely comparable in service mix, federal/state customer base, and geography to Empire.
• W.A. Rasic Construction: Long-established Southern California underground utilities and earthwork contractor with comparable wet utility, dry utility, and grading capabilities serving public agencies. Direct competitor for sewer, water, and storm drain installation projects in the same SoCal geography.
• S.J. Amoroso Construction: Northern California-rooted general contractor with Southern California presence performing earthwork, site utilities, and concrete structures for public and private projects. Comparable in integrated site work delivery and government contract work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/empire_equipment_service
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/empire-equipment-service-inc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 EMPIRE EQUIPMENT SERVICE INC