Preston Companies
Preston Companies is a privately held, family-owned underground engineering and construction firm operating through Preston Pipelines (wet utilities), Preston Electric (dry utilities), and DirtMarket (soil management), serving general contractors, developers, governments, and large enterprise clients across California and Nevada.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1970
- HeadquartersMilpitas, United States
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Preston Companies does
Preston Companies is a privately held, family-owned underground engineering and construction firm founded in 1970 and headquartered in Milpitas, California. It operates through three wholly-owned divisions: Preston Pipelines Infrastructure (wet utilities: storm drains, sanitary sewers, domestic water, fire protection, natural gas, hot/chilled water, excavation and shoring), Preston Electric (dry utilities: underground electrical, communications, joint trench, traffic signals, street lights, transformers, switchgear, and temporary power, operating as an IBEW-signatory union contractor), and DirtMarket (soil sampling, contaminated soil delineation, import/export coordination, and fill site management). Preston delivers integrated site utility packages to general contractors, developers, government agencies, and large owner-clients across California and Northern Nevada, with named work for Microsoft, Google, Meta, LinkedIn, Nvidia, Genentech, Kaiser Permanente, Stanford University, UC Davis, and BioMed Realty among others. The asset base includes 300+ vehicles and a $48M optimally-configured fleet incorporating GPS/laser-guided excavators, hydrovac trucks, Shelby Tube drilling rigs, and Kobelco hybrid excavators; operational tooling includes proprietary safety management software, trucking/load tracking, and preconstruction estimating infrastructure. Revenue is generated primarily through project-based bids and multi-year contracts in segments including civic infrastructure, healthcare, life sciences, higher education, tech campuses, residential/mixed-use, retail, industrial, and environmental/soils management; pricing is quote-based on scope, complexity, soil conditions, and timeline, with 24/7 emergency response services for underground utility and fire sprinkler repair. The company employs 450+ people including 50+ foremen/crews, maintains six offices/operations hubs (Milpitas, San Jose, Palo Alto, West Sacramento, Sparks, and Reno), and has been recognized as a Bay Area Best Place to Work for six consecutive years.
Preston Companies firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Preston Companies
- Legal name
- Preston, Inc.
- Website
- https://prestonco.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1970
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Preston Companies is a privately held, family-owned underground engineering and construction firm operating through Preston Pipelines (wet utilities), Preston Electric (dry utilities), and DirtMarket (soil management), serving general contractors, developers, governments, and large enterprise clients across California and Nevada.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Preston Companies industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Underground Utility Construction
- NAICS
- Water and Sewer Line and Related Structures Construction (23711)
- SIC
- Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623), Heavy Construction Other Than Bldg Const - Contractors (1600), Construction - Special Trade Contractors (1700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Industrial/Process Piping & Mechanical Contracting (IMAFALAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Plumbing & Pipefitting Contracting (IMAFALAC), Public Works General Contracting (IMAFAAAG)
Keywords
Where Preston Companies is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Milpitas
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices6 records
Markets served
Preston Companies business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Underground Utility Construction Services: Preston Companies generates revenue through providing underground utility installation services including storm drains, sanitary sewers, domestic water, fire protection, natural gas, hot/chilled water systems, and related excavation work. Projects range from residential subdivisions to large-scale healthcare and campus developments. Revenue is project-based with multi-year engagements on major infrastructure projects.
- Electrical Infrastructure Services: Preston Electric provides underground electrical, communications, joint trench, traffic signals, street lights, transformers, switchgear, and temporary power installation services. Works in concert with Preston Pipelines wet utility installation to provide comprehensive site utility packages.
- Soil Management and Fill Site Services: DirtMarket provides soil sampling, import/export solutions, contaminated soil management, and fill site coordination services. Revenue is generated through consultation, sampling analysis, and coordination of import/export, disposal services for construction projects.
- Emergency Repair Services: 24/7 emergency response services including underground fire sprinkler repair and urgent utility needs. Available during business hours and weekends with dedicated emergency dispatch contacts.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Project-based construction services with custom quotes |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Preston Companies product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Preston Companies is a general engineering contractor that installs underground wet and dry utilities and manages site soils for complex commercial, civic, healthcare, education, and technology campus projects across California and Nevada. Through Preston Pipelines, Preston Electric, and DirtMarket, the firm delivers storm drains, sanitary sewers, domestic and fire protection water, natural gas, hot/chilled water, underground electrical and communications, joint trenching, plus soil sampling, import/export, and fill site coordination. Projects are awarded through competitive bidding or direct engagement with general contractors, developers, owners, and government agencies.
Product overview
Preston Companies is a parent company operating three distinct business divisions: PrestonPipelines (underground wet utility installation), PrestonElectric (underground dry utility and electrical installation), and DirtMarket (soils testing, management, and fill site services). The three divisions work together to provide comprehensive site utility solutions for complex construction projects, with PrestonPipelines and PrestonElectric often working in concert to deliver consolidated wet and dry utility packages while DirtMarket handles soil management and material movement.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Preston Pipelines (Underground Wet Utility Installation) Industry-leading general engineering utility contractor providing underground wet utility installation services including storm drains, sanitary sewers, domestic water, underground fire protection, natural gas, hot and chilled water systems, excavation and shoring, water and wastewater plants, and general contracting for general contractors, developers, owners, and government agencies across California and Nevada.
- Preston Electric (Underground Dry Utility and Electrical Installation) Premium underground electrical contractor (union, IBEW signatory, C-10 licensed) providing dry utility work including underground electrical, underground communications, joint trench, traffic signals, street lights, transformers, switchgear, and temporary power installation services for public utilities, telecom, and campus projects.
- DirtMarket (Soil Management and Fill Site Services) Sustainable soil management service providing soil sampling (including Shelby Tube technology), import/export solutions, contaminated soil delineation, disposal coordination, SWPPP support, and consultation services for construction project sites, developers, and public agencies.
- 24/7 Emergency Underground Utility Repair Services Round-the-clock emergency response for underground fire sprinkler repair and urgent utility failures, available during business hours and weekends through dedicated emergency dispatch contacts for building owners, facilities, and contractors needing immediate underground utility intervention.
Quantifiable outcome
- Folsom Ranch: Installed 250+ utility services in 2022 alone with $20M+ completed work
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Preston Companies
Customer profileNamed customers18 records
Segments12 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Preston Companies technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Preston Companies partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- HITT ContractingcorePreston Pipelines partnered with HITT Contracting to provide underground utility work on Microsoft's Alviso Data Center Campus in San Jose, CA.
- DPR ConstructioncoreOngoing project partnerships with DPR Construction on healthcare and biotech facilities including Lucile Packard Children's Hospital and Synthego cGMP facility.
- Clark ConstructioncorePartnership with Clark Construction on Stanford Hospital rated ENR's California's Best Projects of 2020, and other major projects.
- Whiting-Turner Contracting CompanycorePartnership with Whiting-Turner on Stanford Energy System Innovations (SESI) project and UC Davis Health Central Utility Plant Expansion (CUPx).
- GooglecoreMultiple partnerships with Google for district energy infrastructure (1390 Borregas Central Utility Plant) and campus rainwater harvesting systems.
- Stanford Universitycore30+ years of ongoing partnerships with Stanford University on campus utility infrastructure including SESI, CEF Expansion, Kresge College, and multiple hospital projects.
- Stanford Health Care and Lucile Packard Children's HospitalcoreLong-standing partnerships on Stanford medical facilities with work ongoing for 30 years.
- Devcon ConstructioncorePartnership with Devcon on LinkedIn Middlefield Campus, Peninsula Innovation Point, Menlo School Performing Arts Center, and Midway Village affordable housing.
- East Bay Regional Park Districtcore10+ year partnership since 2015 managing Oyster Bay Regional Shoreline clean fill project site - 90+ acres of park development.
- GenentechcoreMultiple projects at Genentech South San Francisco campus totaling over $26M including Upper North Campus, Mid-Campus, DNA Way Crossing, and South Campus.
- IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers)corePreston Electric is a union electrical contractor, signatory to IBEW, capable of handling all C-10 licensed work.
- Goodfellow Bros.corePartnership with Goodfellow Bros. on Folsom Ranch Master-Planned Community - 11,000-home development with $20M+ completed work.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Preston Companies competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Mountain Cascade Construction: Northern California heavy civil contractor specializing in water, sewer, and underground utility installation. Comparable in scale and core service offering to Preston Pipelines, with similar public works and subdivision client base.
- J. Colon Construction: Bay Area underground utility contractor focused on water, sewer, and storm drain installation. Directly comparable in geographic focus and service mix to Preston Pipelines, particularly in subdivision and public works work.
- West Valley Construction: California-based underground utility and pipeline contractor serving municipal and private clients in Northern California. Directly comparable in service mix (wet utility installation, site work) and geographic footprint to Preston Pipelines.
- Stacy and Witbeck: California-based heavy civil and transit contractor with underground utility capability. Comparable to Preston in operating model and California concentration, with strong rail/transit infrastructure practice.
- R.J. Daum Construction: Southern California underground utility contractor providing wet utility installation services. Smaller than Preston but directly comparable in service offering and project types (subdivision and commercial site utilities).
Broad incumbents
- MasTec: National infrastructure construction company with substantial presence in utility, communications, and oil & gas pipeline work. While broader in scope than Preston, it competes for large underground utility and energy infrastructure contracts in California and Nevada.
- Quanta Services: Large publicly-traded infrastructure services company with significant underground utility and electric power infrastructure operations across North America. Competes with Preston for large-scale utility and data center projects through its operating subsidiaries.
- Granite Construction: Large publicly-traded California-headquartered heavy civil contractor with significant water, sewer, and underground utility work. Operates at much greater scale and broader geographic footprint than Preston, but directly competes on California infrastructure projects.
- Teichert Construction: Established Sacramento-based heavy civil and site development contractor with broader services including grading, paving, and utilities. Larger and more diversified than Preston but overlaps significantly in California underground utility work.
Regional players
- Sukut Construction: Heavy civil contractor based in Southern California focused on earthwork, grading, and underground utility installation. Geographic complement to Preston's Northern California focus; comparable in service line and project types.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Preston Companies social profiles
Digital presencePreston Companies compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
Preston Companies financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Preston Companies leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Preston Companies subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
Preston Companies funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Preston Companies M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Preston Companies
What does Preston Companies do?
Preston Companies is a general engineering contractor that installs underground wet and dry utilities and manages site soils for complex commercial, civic, healthcare, education, and technology campus projects across California and Nevada. Through Preston Pipelines, Preston Electric, and DirtMarket, the firm delivers storm drains, sanitary sewers, domestic and fire protection water, natural gas, hot/chilled water, underground electrical and communications, joint trenching, plus soil sampling, import/export, and fill site coordination. Projects are awarded through competitive bidding or direct engagement with general contractors, developers, owners, and government agencies.
Is Preston Companies a public or private company?
Preston Companies is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Preston Companies founded?
Preston Companies was founded in 1970. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Preston Companies based?
Preston Companies is headquartered in Milpitas, United States, in the North America region.
How does Preston Companies make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Underground Utility Construction Services are the primary driver. The others are electrical Infrastructure Services, soil Management and Fill Site Services and emergency Repair Services.
Who are Preston Companies's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Mountain Cascade Construction, J. Colon Construction, West Valley Construction, Stacy and Witbeck and R.J. Daum Construction. Broad incumbents are MasTec, Quanta Services, Granite Construction and Teichert Construction. Sukut Construction is listed as a regional player.
Does Preston Companies have an API?
No public API is recorded for Preston Companies.
What industry is Preston Companies in?
Preston Companies's product category is Underground Utility Construction. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAFALAG, Industrial/Process Piping & Mechanical Contracting, with a secondary code of IMAFALAC, Plumbing & Pipefitting Contracting. Its NAICS code is 23711 and its SIC code is 1623.