What First Rate Excavate Inc does

First Rate Excavate Inc is a private, employee-owned excavation and underground utility contractor headquartered at 1509 E 39th St N in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, serving commercial and residential customers across southeastern South Dakota, southwestern Minnesota, and northwestern Iowa. Founded on August 1, 1982 by Harold Goeden, the company transitioned to an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) in 2022 and is now led by Harold Goeden as President and Owner alongside Bryan Goeden as Vice President and Co-Owner. The service portfolio covers site grading, demolition, water main and sanitary sewer installation and repair, foundation excavation and backfill, trucking and heavy hauling, septic work, emergency repairs, and private fire hydrant testing for both general contractors and homeowners.

The company executes this work using a fleet of excavators, loaders, cranes, forklifts, haul trucks, and scrapers, augmented by in-house material crushing capabilities and a vertically integrated aggregate supply chain run through its subsidiary Great Bear Sand and Gravel. Great Bear sources rock, gravel, sand, clay, crushed stone, and recycled materials from three company-owned pits (Eagle Pit in Sioux Falls, Holly Pit in Brandon, and West Pit in Hartford), with materials sold at the pit or delivered for an additional fee. The vertical linkage between excavation services and aggregate supply creates internal cost capture and same-day delivery capability within the service area.

First Rate Excavate generates revenue primarily through project-based, quote-driven contracts for commercial and residential excavation, hourly-rate heavy hauling, aggregate material sales (pickup or delivery), and ancillary services such as private fire hydrant testing. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is determined per job; GTM is sales-led via direct phone outreach (605.331.5626), an online quote request form, and word-of-mouth referrals supported by 20+ years of consecutive "Local Best" recognition in Sioux Falls. Marketing relies on the company website, Facebook, and customer reviews, with no public revenue, headcount, or external investor disclosures available.

Name

First Rate Excavate Inc

Legal name

First Rate Excavate Inc

Website

https://firstrateexcavate.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

First Rate Excavate Inc is an employee-owned excavation, underground utility, and aggregate supply contractor based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, founded in 1982 by Harold Goeden, serving commercial contractors and residential homeowners across South Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa via its core fleet and subsidiary Great Bear Sand and Gravel's three aggregate pits.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Excavation and Underground Utility Contracting

NAICS

Site Preparation Contractors (23891), Water and Sewer Line and Related Structures Construction (237110)

SIC

Heavy Construction Other Than Bldg Const - Contractors (1600), Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623), Wholesale-Lumber & Other Construction Materials (5030)

akta.pro primary industry

Trenching & Utility Excavation (IMAFAKAD)

Keywords

• Commercial excavation services
• Underground utility installation
• Site grading and demolition
• Aggregate material supply
• Trucking and hauling services

Headquarters

HQ city

Sioux Falls

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Excavation Services: Core excavation and underground utility services including site grading, demolition, water main and sanitary sewer installation and repair. Billed on project basis with quotes tailored to specific requirements.
2. Trucking and Hauling Services: Material hauling and delivery services for commercial and residential projects including rock, base course, black dirt, and heavy equipment transport. Revenue from both material delivery and haul-away services.
3. Aggregate Material Sales: Sale of aggregate materials (rock, gravel, sand, clay, crushed stone, recycled concrete) through company-owned pits and quarries. Materials available for pickup at pits or delivered for additional fee. Also offers hauling services to remove materials from customer sites.
4. Private Fire Hydrant Testing: Additional service revenue from private fire hydrant testing for residential and commercial customers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

First Rate Excavate Inc delivers commercial and residential excavation, underground utility installation and repair (water mains, sanitary sewer, storm drainage), site grading, demolition, and trucking/hauling services across southeastern South Dakota, southwestern Minnesota, and northwestern Iowa. Through its subsidiary Great Bear Sand and Gravel, the company produces and sells aggregate materials (rock, gravel, sand, clay, crushed stone, recycled concrete) from three company-owned pits and offers private fire hydrant testing. Services are project-based, quote-priced, and delivered with company-owned heavy equipment and operators.

Product overview

First Rate Excavate Inc is a construction services company offering integrated excavation, underground utility, and site development services. The company operates two brands: First Rate Excavate (core excavation, utilities, demolition, trucking, and hauling services) and its subsidiary Great Bear Sand and Gravel (aggregate material supply). These services are interconnected — excavation operations generate and supply aggregate materials while also consuming them for site development projects, creating a unified service ecosystem for commercial and residential construction clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Commercial Excavating Services Commercial excavation, underground utility installation and repair (sanitary sewer, water main, storm drainage), site grading, demolition, street rehabilitation, material crushing, and emergency repair services for general contractors and commercial developers across all project sizes.
• Residential Excavating Services Residential excavation services including basement and addition excavation, backfilling, site and finish grading, sump line installation, sewer and water service, septic services, house demolition, trucking and material hauling, and water/sewer repairs for homeowners and residential property owners.
• Aggregate Material Supply (Great Bear Sand and Gravel) Supply of rock, gravel, sand, clay, crushed stone, recycled concrete, base course, recycled asphalt, salt sand, boulders of varying sizes, crusher dust, select fill, and surge rock from three company-owned pits (Eagle, Holly, West), available for pickup or delivery to project sites, including same-day delivery.
• Trucking and Heavy Hauling Services Material hauling and delivery services for rock, base course, black dirt, and other aggregate products, plus heavy equipment transportation. Base hourly rate pricing with additional cost factors for special equipment, tools, and permits (varying by size, weight, and route).
• Private Fire Hydrant Testing Inspection and testing of private fire hydrants for residential and commercial customers to ensure code compliance and operational readiness.

Quantifiable outcome

• Voted Sioux Falls' Local Best Excavating Contractor for more than 20 consecutive years
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Great Bear Sand and GravelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSubsidiary company specializing in aggregate material supply. Provides rock, gravel, sand, clay, and recycled materials through multiple pit locations (Eagle, Holly, West). First Rate Excavate offers Great Bear materials for pickup and delivery, integrating aggregate supply with excavation services.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Vulcan Materials Company: Largest U.S. producer of construction aggregates. Serves as a scale benchmark for the aggregate side of First Rate Excavate's business and for how integrated aggregate/construction economics behave.
• Sterling Infrastructure: Diversified infrastructure services firm with site development, transportation, and water/sewer line construction segments. Comparable for the commercial site prep, utility installation, and heavy hauling mix First Rate Excavate offers.
• Martin Marietta Materials: Large U.S. producer of aggregates and heavy-side construction materials. Relevant as a public-market comparable for the Great Bear Sand and Gravel aggregate business and pricing dynamics in regional aggregate markets.
• Granite Construction: Heavy civil and infrastructure contractor with significant site preparation, utility, and earthmoving capability. Represents a large-scale public-market comparable for the type of site work First Rate Excavate performs for commercial and public clients.

Others

• Caterpillar Inc. Global manufacturer of excavators, loaders, and heavy construction equipment. Indirect peer — its products underpin First Rate Excavate's equipment fleet and influence fleet costs, service availability, and used-equipment resale values.
• Komatsu Ltd. Major OEM of excavators and construction/mining equipment. Comparable as an incumbent supplier whose pricing, financing, and technology decisions directly affect capital and operating costs for excavators in First Rate's fleet.
• United Rentals: Largest equipment rental company in North America. Comparable as a key supplier/channel for the heavy equipment and aerial fleet a regional excavation contractor would draw on for surge capacity and complementary machines.

Direct peers

• Knife River Corporation: Public aggregate producer and construction services contractor operating regionally across the U.S. Both companies combine aggregate production with heavy civil/site development work for commercial and infrastructure customers, making Knife River a like-for-like regional model.
• Summit Materials: Vertically integrated construction materials company with aggregates and downstream paving/infrastructure services. Its bundled aggregate-plus-construction model mirrors First Rate Excavate's Great Bear + excavation structure.

Emerging players

• SiteOne Landscape Supply: Wholesale distributor of landscape and hardscape supplies including aggregates. Comparable on the materials distribution side of First Rate Excavate's business, particularly the contractor/DIY pickup and delivery motion at the pits.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/FirstRateExcavate
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/first-rate-excavate-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 First Rate Excavate Inc