Rutherford Contracting

What Rutherford Contracting does

Rutherford Contracting Ltd. is an employee-owned Ontario general contractor founded in 1971 by R.J. (Dick) Rutherford, operating from its Aurora headquarters and a Kingston office opened in 2024. The company delivers building construction, civil construction, facilities management, and construction management services across the Industrial, Institutional, Commercial, and Civil sectors, serving public/municipal clients (City of Markham, City of Barrie), transit authorities (Metrolinx, GO Transit, Via Rail), school boards (DDSB, York Region DSB, Durham Catholic DSB, Kawartha Pine Ridge DSB), and private enterprises (Sporting Life Group, Sterne Acura, LCBO, Downsview Park). Notable projects include a $5M+ civic square in Barrie, a 23-acre community park in Markham, and a 37,000 sq ft Sporting Life retail build, with disclosed tickets ranging from classroom additions to multi-acre civil works.

The company generates revenue through fixed-price general contracting contracts and time-and-materials arrangements for emergency and maintenance services, primarily secured via competitive public tenders and Vendor of Record (VOR) framework agreements with municipalities, school boards, and transit agencies. Its go-to-market is enterprise field sales: bidding on RFPs, maintaining pre-qualified VOR status with named public-sector buyers, and leveraging a project portfolio website plus LinkedIn/Instagram for top-of-funnel visibility. The firm holds one of the earliest Ontario COR safety certifications (IHSA, 2017) and has aligned to the CoR 2020 program, a credential that functions as a pre-qualification gate for many public-sector frameworks.

Underlying operations rely on conventional construction delivery rather than proprietary technology: no software products, APIs, or AI/ML capabilities are disclosed. The competitive moat rests on a 50-year operating history, employee-ownership culture, COR-certified safety program (over 1,000,000 hours worked without injury from 2008–2020), and entrenched VOR relationships that reduce bidding friction. The firm is privately held with no parent company, no subsidiaries, no disclosed funding rounds, and no management team information available in the source data.

Name

Rutherford Contracting

Legal name

Rutherford Contracting Ltd.

Website

https://ruthcon.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Rutherford Contracting Ltd. is an employee-owned Ontario general contractor, founded 1971, delivering building, civil, facilities management, and construction management services to municipal, transit, education, and private-sector clients primarily through tenders and Vendor of Record agreements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

General Contracting & Construction Services

NAICS

Commercial and Institutional Building Construction (23622), Landscaping Services (56173), Other Specialty Trade Contractors (2389)

SIC

General Bldg Contractors - Nonresidential Bldgs (1540), Heavy Construction Other Than Bldg Const - Contractors (1600)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Works General Contracting (IMAFAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Industrial/Process Plant General Contracting (IMAFAAAH), Landscape Construction Project Management & General Contracting (HSAIABAK)

Keywords

• General contracting services
• Building construction
• Civil construction
• Facilities management
• Construction management

Headquarters

HQ city

Aurora

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. General Contracting Services: Revenue generated through fixed-price contracts for construction projects across building construction, civil construction, facilities management, and construction management services. Projects range from renovations to new construction for public, institutional, commercial, and private sector clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Rutherford Contracting is an Ontario-based general contractor providing building construction, civil construction, facilities management, and construction management services. The firm delivers projects ranging from office renovations, retail fit-outs, and educational facility additions to community parks, transit infrastructure restoration, and civil site works for municipal, institutional, commercial, and private sector clients. Services are quoted on a project-by-project basis and awarded through competitive tendering, design-build arrangements, and Vendor of Record agreements.

Product overview

Rutherford Contracting is a general contractor established in 1971, offering a portfolio of construction services rather than a singular software product. Its core service lines include Building Construction, Civil Construction, Facilities Management, and Construction Management. The company serves diverse market sectors — Public & Municipal, Transit, Civil & Site Works, Education, Retail, and Private construction — delivering projects ranging from office renovations and retail fit-outs to civil infrastructure, transit facilities, and community parks. Projects are delivered across Ontario from two offices (Aurora and Kingston). The company operates a Vendor of Record (VOR) contracting model with public-sector clients and maintains a safety program certified under IHSA's Certificate of Recognition (CoR) program. Its named offerings are service-focused disciplines, not branded software products or modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Building Construction

Quantifiable outcome

• Completed $5M+ public square project in 15 months from award
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Region of PeelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRutherford Contracting serves as an approved Vendor of Record for the Regional Municipality of Peel, delivering high-quality general contracting services throughout Brampton, Mississauga, and Caledon. Services include comprehensive interior office renovations, exterior civil works, fencing, landscaping, grading, and retaining walls. Projects include both substantial quoted work and urgent time-and-materials requirements.
• City of Richmond HillcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThree-year general contracting agreement, extendable by two additional years, for managing emergent construction projects across multiple city facilities. Services span site safety, demolition, civil, masonry, electrical, mechanical, asphalt, paving, landscaping, and grading operations.
• Durham District School Board (DDSB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVendor of Record agreement through 2026 for comprehensive maintenance services, general repairs, system replacements, and regulatory inspections. Guaranteed two-hour response time during business hours and one-hour response time for emergencies, 24/7.
• MetrolinxcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThree-year Vendor of Record contract for Exterior and Interior State of Good Repair (SOGR) works, specialized maintenance and minor repairs. Services include utility relocations, hydro excavations, site safety, and comprehensive interior renovations covering plumbing, electrical, mechanical systems, masonry, and carpentry.
• CCA (Canadian Construction Association)minorOthersGold Seal Certification member - industry association supporting construction excellence through certification programs
• Ontario General Contractors Association (OGCA)minorOthersMember of Ontario General Contractors Association - trade organization for general contractors
• Infrastructure Health & Safety Association (IHSA)minorOthersCertifying body for COR (Certificate of Recognition) safety certification
• Toronto Construction AssociationminorOthersMember of Toronto Construction Association - industry networking and support
• Project Management Institute (PMI)minorOthersCorporate membership supporting project management professional standards

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Bird Construction: Canadian general contractor with a significant Ontario institutional and commercial portfolio, including work for school boards, transit, and government. Comparable in service offering and customer segments, though larger in scale than Rutherford.
• Buttcon Limited: Ontario-focused general contractor with building construction and project management services for institutional, commercial, and industrial clients. Comparable in scale and customer mix to Rutherford, with similar competitive positioning in the GTA public-sector market.
• Maple Reinders: Mid-sized Ontario-based general contractor delivering building, civil, and environmental construction across institutional, commercial, and industrial sectors. Closest comparable to Rutherford in size, regional footprint, service mix, and public-sector client base.
• Aquicon Construction: Ontario-based general contractor delivering institutional, commercial, and civil construction across the GTA and surrounding regions. Comparable mid-sized peer competing in similar public tender markets.
• Matheson Constructors: Ontario general contractor with capabilities across ICI construction, civil works, and facilities management. Comparable mid-sized GC competing for similar institutional, transit, and municipal tenders in Ontario.

Broad incumbents

• Aecon Group: Largest Canadian construction and infrastructure company with a deep Ontario civil, transit, and utilities portfolio. Competes for major public infrastructure work and represents the scale ceiling in Rutherford's served verticals.
• Graham Construction: Major Canadian general contractor with strong presence in Ontario institutional, transit, and civil infrastructure. Larger and broader in scope, but competes for the same public-sector work and represents the natural scale-up path (or competitor) for mid-sized Ontario GCs.
• PCL Constructors: National Canadian GC with significant Ontario institutional, commercial, and civil infrastructure activity. Represents the large-incumbent competitive set on major public projects in the same client verticals Rutherford serves.
• EllisDon Corporation: Large Canadian general contractor with deep Ontario ICI and civil portfolio, including transit, healthcare, and education work. Operates as a broad incumbent competitor for larger public tenders Rutherford is structurally sized out of.
• Pomerleau: Major Canadian general contractor with growing Ontario institutional and civil infrastructure presence. Competes for similar public-sector work at the upper end of the project-size range.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rutherford-contracting
• Instagraminstagram.com/rutherfordcontracting
• Facebookfacebook.com/rutherfordcontractingltd

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 Rutherford Contracting