A. M. Cohron & Son, Inc.

What A. M. Cohron & Son, Inc. does

A. M. Cohron & Son, Inc. is a privately held, multi-generational heavy-highway contractor founded in 1928 by Arch Montgomery Cohron in Des Moines, Iowa, and now headquartered in Atlantic, Iowa. The company specializes in bridge construction and rehabilitation, delivering state highway bridges, county bridges, railroad bridges, rock revetments, retaining walls, pile driving of all types, and small paving projects. Its primary customers are state Departments of Transportation in Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas, along with county and municipal governments and railroad operators in the Midwest; it has also executed projects in Missouri, Oklahoma, and Arkansas over the past 25 years.

The company bids work through formal competitive procurement on government infrastructure projects and operates from two offices (Atlantic, Iowa and Emporia, Kansas). It owns and continuously renews a heavy construction fleet suited to bridge work and employs project managers, estimators, and field labor under a leadership team drawn primarily from the Harlan family. Notable historical work includes a 1942-1943 joint venture on the Tidal Basin and Maine Avenue bridges in Washington D.C. (the Kutz Memorial Bridge).

Revenue derives from project-based, one-time contracts awarded through competitive bidding; pricing is not publicly disclosed and varies by bridge size, materials, site conditions, and specifications. The firm previously operated a ready-mix concrete division (entered 1975, expanded to seven plants, sold in 2002), and current operations are focused exclusively on bridge construction and related heavy-civil services. As a private family company with no outside funding, A. M. Cohron & Son does not publish financial figures; recent operations include a 2025 ownership transition following the death of majority owner and Chairman Keith Harlan.

Name

A. M. Cohron & Son, Inc.

Legal name

A.M. Cohron & Son, Inc.

Website

https://amcohron-son.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1928

Operating status

Operating

Short description

A. M. Cohron & Son is a multi-generational, privately held heavy-highway contractor founded in 1928 and based in Atlantic, Iowa. It builds and rehabilitates bridges — state, county, and railroad — and related structures primarily for government clients in Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Heavy Highway Construction

NAICS

Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction (237310), Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction (237), Structural Steel and Precast Concrete Contractors (238120)

SIC

Heavy Construction Other Than Bldg Const - Contractors (1600), Fabricated Structural Metal Products (3440)

akta.pro primary industry

Bridge & Viaduct Construction (IMAFAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Bridge & Infrastructure Steel Components (IMADACAL)

Keywords

• Bridge construction services
• Heavy highway contracting
• Pile driving services
• Railroad bridge construction
• Retaining wall construction

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlantic Highlands

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Bridge Construction Projects: Project-based revenue from constructing bridges for state highway commissions, county governments, and municipalities. Contracts are awarded through competitive bidding processes for infrastructure projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

A. M. Cohron & Son, Inc. is a heavy highway contractor that builds and rehabilitates highway and railroad bridges along with related concrete and steel structures. The company undertakes state and county bridge construction projects, railroad bridges, rock revetments, retaining walls, pile driving of all types, small paving projects, city projects, and private projects, primarily across Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas with additional operations in Missouri, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.

Product overview

A.M. Cohron & Son is a multi-generational family-run heavy highway contractor specializing in bridge construction. The company operates as a single integrated service offering focused on bridge infrastructure projects, including state and county bridges, railroad bridges, rock revetments, retaining walls, pile driving, small paving projects, city projects, and private projects. Founded in 1928, the company has completed over 1,000 bridge projects throughout the Midwest, primarily serving Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas, with additional operations in Missouri, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The company maintains a fleet of construction equipment and employs project managers, estimators, and skilled laborers to deliver bridge construction services from planning through completion.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bridge Construction Services
• Railroad Bridges
• Rock Revetments
• Retaining Walls
• Pile Driving Services
• Small Paving Projects
• City Infrastructure Projects
• Private Construction Projects

Quantifiable outcome

• Completed more than 1,000 bridge projects since 1928
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 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.

• Alexander & RepasshistoricStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1942Joint venture with Alexander & Repass (engineering firm based in Des Moines) for Washington D.C. project constructing a bridge over the Tidal Basin, a seawall, and a second bridge over Maine Avenue. Both bridges remain in use today and can be seen from the Jefferson Memorial. The Tidal Basin bridge is known as the Kutz Memorial Bridge.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Lunda Construction Company: Wisconsin-based bridge and structural construction contractor with comparable Midwest DOT focus and heavy bridge scope. Similar project-based revenue model serving state transportation agencies.
• Edward Kraemer & Sons, Inc. Wisconsin-based heavy civil contractor specializing in bridge and structural construction. Comparable Midwest-based bridge builder with similar DOT customer base and heavy highway project scope.
• Manatt's, Inc. Iowa-based, family-run heavy civil contractor with bridge, paving, and concrete operations across the Midwest. Comparable in regional Midwest presence, multi-service offering, and family ownership structure.
• Cramer & Associates, Inc. Iowa-based heavy highway and bridge contractor serving DOTs in the Midwest. Directly comparable as a regional, multi-state bridge builder with similar customer base (Iowa DOT and adjacent state agencies).
• Herberger Construction Company: Midwest bridge and heavy highway contractor with similar DOT-customer base. Directly comparable as a regional bridge specialist focused on state and county transportation projects.
• Cedar Valley Corporation: Iowa-based bridge and structural construction contractor. Directly comparable Midwest bridge builder with similar prequalified DOT customer relationships and bridge-focused service offerings.
• Jensen Construction Company: Iowa-based heavy civil and bridge contractor with similar Midwest DOT-customer base. Comparable in size, regional focus, and bridge/heavy highway scope of work to A.M. Cohron & Son.

Broad incumbents

• Ames Construction, Inc. Large, multi-region heavy civil contractor with significant bridge and transportation infrastructure operations. Comparable in core bridge/heavy highway work but operates at greater scale and broader geographic reach than A.M. Cohron.
• Kraemer North America: Major heavy civil contractor with substantial bridge construction operations across the Midwest and nationally. Comparable in bridge expertise but with broader scale and diversified heavy civil portfolio.
• Graham Construction: Large multi-disciplinary construction firm with heavy civil and bridge capabilities. Comparable in heavy infrastructure delivery but operates as a much larger, more diversified incumbent than A.M. Cohron.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/AMCohron

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 A. M. Cohron & Son, Inc.