SAK
SAK, LLC is a privately held, O'Fallon, Missouri-based specialty contractor providing pipeline rehabilitation, large-diameter tunneling, and underground infrastructure solutions to municipal, energy, and industrial clients across 25+ U.S. states through its SAK Construction, AFFHOLDER, and Pipenology subsidiaries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersO'Fallon, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What SAK does
SAK, LLC is a privately held, O'Fallon, Missouri-based specialty contractor that delivers pipeline rehabilitation, large-diameter tunneling, and underground infrastructure services to municipal, energy, and industrial clients across the United States. The company operates as a family of three operating brands — SAK Construction (CIPP and trenchless rehabilitation), AFFHOLDER (tunneling, shaft excavation, shotcrete, sliplining), and Pipenology (CIPP liner manufacturing) — and has completed more than 2,000 projects representing 14M+ linear feet of liner installed. Its technical capabilities span CIPP (cured-in-place pipe), SPR (spirally wound PVC), SippSteel robotic pressure-pipe lining (exclusive national installer), QLS GeoKrete geopolymer structural lining, and tunnel boring operations using 121-inch and 84-inch TBMs for work ranging from 48-inch diameter to 32-foot arch-shaped tunnels.
SAK generates revenue through competitive project bidding on public infrastructure contracts, with individual project values ranging from roughly $3 million to $91.5 million (e.g., the $91.5M LADWP River Supply Conduit joint venture, the $40M Austin Downtown Wastewater Tunnel). Its customer base is dominated by municipal water and sewer agencies (City of Austin, DC Water, LADWP, MSD St. Louis, City of Phoenix, City of Fresno, City of Las Vegas, and others), supplemented by energy and industrial clients, with go-to-market distribution through direct enterprise bidding, joint ventures with strategic partners (Quest Civil Constructors, W.A. Rasic Construction), and three government cooperative purchasing organizations (Choice Facility Partners, The Cooperative Purchasing Network, BuyBoard). The company was founded in 2006 by industry veterans Jerry Shaw, Bob Affholder (deceased July 2024), and Tom Kalishman, who previously built Insituform Mid-America into the largest Insituform licensee in North America.
SAK firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SAK
- Legal name
- SAK, LLC
- Website
- https://sakcompanies.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- SAK, LLC is a privately held, O'Fallon, Missouri-based specialty contractor providing pipeline rehabilitation, large-diameter tunneling, and underground infrastructure solutions to municipal, energy, and industrial clients across 25+ U.S. states through its SAK Construction, AFFHOLDER, and Pipenology subsidiaries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SAK industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Underground Infrastructure and Pipeline Rehabilitation Services
- NAICS
- Water and Sewer Line and Related Structures Construction (23711), Water and Sewer Line and Related Structures Construction (237110)
- SIC
- Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Rehabilitation, Lining & Renewal (Pipe Relining, Trenchless Rehab, Asset Renewal) (IMAFAGAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Trenchless Sewer Repair (Pipe Lining/CIPP) (HSAOABAH), Rehabilitation & Renewal (CIPP, Lining, Coatings, Structural Repairs) (EUANALAF)
Keywords
Where SAK is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- O'Fallon
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices5 records
Markets served
SAK business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Pipeline Rehabilitation Services: Project-based contracts for CIPP rehabilitation, infrastructure repair, and sewer/water main rehabilitation for municipal clients. Revenue earned through competitive bidding on public infrastructure projects.
- Tunneling and Underground Construction: Large-diameter tunneling services for wastewater, water transmission, and infrastructure projects. Includes shaft excavation, shotcrete, and sliplining services through AFFHOLDER subsidiary.
- Liner Products (Pipenology): Sale of CIPP liner products manufactured by Pipenology subsidiary for pipeline rehabilitation projects
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Project-based infrastructure contracts |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
SAK product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SAK, LLC is a national pipeline rehabilitation and tunneling services contractor that maintains and restores aging water and sanitary infrastructure for municipal, energy, and industrial markets. The company family includes SAK Construction (CIPP trenchless rehabilitation), AFFHOLDER (large-diameter tunneling, shaft excavation, shotcrete, sliplining), and Pipenology (CIPP liner manufacturing), collectively delivering turnkey underground infrastructure solutions from assessment through installation.
Product overview
SAK, LLC is a family of industry-leading construction companies (SAK Construction, AFFHOLDER, and Pipenology) delivering pipeline rehabilitation and underground infrastructure solutions. The portfolio includes: SAK Construction for CIPP pipeline rehabilitation and tunneling services; AFFHOLDER for large-diameter tunneling, shaft excavation, shotcrete, and sliplining; and Pipenology for CIPP liner manufacturing. Core services include CIPP rehabilitation, large diameter tunneling (up to 32-foot), Aqua-Pipe drinking water solutions, SPR spirally wound pipe renewal, SippSteel robotic pressure pipe lining, and QLS geopolymer lining systems.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- SAK Construction (Pipeline Rehabilitation Services) National pipeline rehabilitation services contractor delivering CIPP and other trenchless technologies for water and sanitary infrastructure maintenance and restoration for municipal, energy, and industrial markets.
- AFFHOLDER (Large-Diameter Tunneling and Underground Construction) Large-diameter tunneling, shaft excavation, shotcrete, and sliplining services for expanding, rebuilding, and maintaining America's water infrastructure, with tunneling capabilities from 48-inch diameter up to 32-foot arch-shaped tunnels.
- Pipenology (CIPP Liner Manufacturing) CIPP (cured-in-place pipe) liner manufacturer that has supplied product for the most complex projects with millions of linear feet successfully installed across the nation.
- CIPP (Cured-In-Place Pipe) Rehabilitation Trenchless 'no dig' technology that rehabilitates damaged sewer pipes quickly and cost-effectively with minimal disruption to the surrounding community and environment.
- Large-Diameter Tunneling Tunneling services for new pipeline installations ranging from 48-inch diameter up to 32-foot arch-shaped tunnels, using 121-inch and 84-inch diameter tunnel boring machines.
- Aqua-Pipe Drinking Water Main Rehabilitation Drinking water main rehabilitation technology for pipes from 6 inches to 16 inches in diameter. SAK is an exclusive licensee for Aqua-Pipe in an 11-state region.
- SPR (Spiral Wound PVC Pipe Renewal) PVC-based spirally wound pipe renewal technology with steel reinforcement integral within the profile, using Sekisui process technology and profile wraps locked together with grouted annular space to form a strong composite pipe.
- SippSteel Robotic Pressure Pipe Lining Robotically installed composite pressure pipelining system using computer-vision, LIDAR ultrasound, RF, Wi-Fi, gyroscope and accelerometer technologies. SAK holds exclusive national installation rights for the technology.
- QLS GeoKrete Geopolymer Lining System Structural rehabilitation system for large diameter pipe, culvert, tunnels and non-round infrastructure using GeoKrete geopolymer mortar. SAK is a QLS licensee of Vortex Companies.
Quantifiable outcome
- Completed over 2,000 projects with 14M+ linear feet of liner installed
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use SAK
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
SAK technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
SAK partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- Vortex Companies (QLS - Quadex Lining System)coreSAK became a licensee for the QLS system featuring GeoKrete geopolymer, designed for structural rehabilitation of large diameter pipe, culvert, tunnels and non-round infrastructure.
- SippTech (SIPP Technologies LLC)coreSAK is the exclusive national installation contractor for SippTech's SippSteel robotic lining technology. This multidimensional, robotically installed composite pressure pipelining system uses computer-vision, LIDAR ultrasound, and other sensors to navigate and apply composite lining inside pipes.
- W.A. Rasic Construction Co. Inc.flagshipJoint venture partnership for the $91.5 million River Supply Conduit Improvement Upper Reach project for LADWP in North Hollywood, California.
- Parsons EngineeringminorEngineering firm partnered with SAK/Quest joint venture for design of the Austin Downtown Wastewater Tunnel project.
- Quest Civil Constructors Inc.flagshipJoint venture partnership for the $40 million Downtown Wastewater Tunnel project for the City of Austin. SAK and Quest partnered with Parsons Engineering to deliver the project.
- Chester Engineers (Arcadis)minorDesign engineer for the DC Water Potomac Interceptor project.
- Doetsch EnvironmentalminorSubcontractor for cleaning and closed circuit TV inspection services on the Potomac Interceptor project.
- Municipal Hydro ServicesminorSubcontractor for bypass pumping operations on the DC Water project.
- Choice Facility PartnerscoreCooperative purchasing organization based in Houston serving government entities nationwide; SAK is a contract partner.
- The Cooperative Purchasing NetworkcoreCooperative purchasing organization based in Houston serving government entities nationwide; SAK is a contract partner.
- BuyBoardcoreCooperative purchasing organization based in Austin serving government entities nationwide; SAK is a contract partner.
- LogistecminorPartnership with Logistec for infrastructure projects, announced May 2020.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights7 records
SAK competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Garney Construction: Garney Construction is a large privately held water and wastewater pipeline contractor operating nationwide, comparable to SAK through its municipal water/sewer focus and large-diameter pipeline installation capabilities, though it does not specialize in trenchless rehabilitation.
- Veolia North America: Veolia North America operates water and wastewater utilities and provides infrastructure services to municipal clients, overlapping with SAK's customer base and increasingly active in trenchless rehabilitation contracting.
- Aegion Corporation: Aegion Corporation is the parent company of Insituform Technologies and other infrastructure services businesses, representing a broader incumbent in the pipeline rehabilitation space whose services directly overlap with SAK's core offering through its subsidiaries.
- Granite Construction: Granite Construction is a large publicly traded heavy civil contractor with a significant water and wastewater infrastructure construction division, serving as a broader incumbent peer for SAK's large-diameter tunneling and pipeline construction projects.
Direct peers
- Lanzo Trenchless Technologies: Lanzo Trenchless Technologies is a specialty contractor performing CIPP pipe lining and trenchless rehabilitation for sewer and water systems in Florida and the eastern US, with similar capabilities and customer profile to SAK's rehabilitation business.
- Vortex Companies: Vortex Companies is a trenchless technology provider and contractor offering QLS GeoKrete geopolymer systems and other rehabilitation solutions, directly overlapping with SAK's rehabilitation services and serving as both a licensor and potential competitor.
- Murphy Pipeline Contractors: Murphy Pipeline Contractors is a specialty CIPP and trenchless rehabilitation contractor serving municipal water and wastewater utilities across the US, making it a closely comparable niche peer to SAK in pipeline rehabilitation methods and customer base.
- Michels Corporation: Michels Pipeline is a large privately held utility construction contractor performing trenchless rehabilitation, tunneling, and pipeline construction across North America, with overlapping service offerings in municipal water/sewer infrastructure that directly compete with SAK.
- Insituform Technologies (Aegion): Insituform Technologies, now part of Aegion Corporation, is the largest CIPP pipeline rehabilitation contractor in North America and the most direct competitor to SAK's core CIPP and trenchless rehabilitation services for municipal water and sewer systems.
Others
- SEKISUI Chemical (SPR licensee): SEKISUI Chemical is the licensor of the SPR (Spiral Wound PVC Pipe Renewal) process that SAK uses, making it an adjacent technology partner whose broader trenchless and pipe products influence the competitive landscape for rehabilitation methods.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
SAK financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SAK leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
SAK subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
SAK funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SAK 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 SAK
What does SAK do?
SAK, LLC is a national pipeline rehabilitation and tunneling services contractor that maintains and restores aging water and sanitary infrastructure for municipal, energy, and industrial markets. The company family includes SAK Construction (CIPP trenchless rehabilitation), AFFHOLDER (large-diameter tunneling, shaft excavation, shotcrete, sliplining), and Pipenology (CIPP liner manufacturing), collectively delivering turnkey underground infrastructure solutions from assessment through installation.
Is SAK a public or private company?
SAK is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was SAK founded?
SAK was founded in 2006.
Where is SAK based?
SAK is headquartered in O'Fallon, United States, in the North America region.
How does SAK make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Pipeline Rehabilitation Services are the primary driver. The others are tunneling and Underground Construction and liner Products (Pipenology).
Who are SAK's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Garney Construction, Veolia North America, Aegion Corporation and Granite Construction. Direct peers are Lanzo Trenchless Technologies, Vortex Companies, Murphy Pipeline Contractors, Michels Corporation and Insituform Technologies (Aegion). SEKISUI Chemical (SPR licensee) is listed as an others.
Does SAK have an API?
No public API is recorded for SAK.
What industry is SAK in?
SAK's product category is Underground Infrastructure and Pipeline Rehabilitation Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAFAGAL, Rehabilitation, Lining & Renewal (Pipe Relining, Trenchless Rehab, Asset Renewal), with a secondary code of HSAOABAH, Trenchless Sewer Repair (Pipe Lining/CIPP). Its NAICS code is 23711 and its SIC code is 1623.