What Subsurface Construction Company, LLC does

Subsurface Construction Company, LLC is a privately held, design-build geotechnical specialty subcontractor founded in 1994 by Greg Sullivan in Smithfield, North Carolina. The firm delivers excavation shoring, earth retention, deep foundation, and ground improvement services — including soil nail walls (conventional and a proprietary driven variant), soldier pile walls (anchored and cantilevered), sheet pile walls, secant pile walls, micropiles, auger cast piles, aggregate piers, underpinning, and ground anchors — to general contractors operating across North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, and Georgia. Service delivery is integrated across engineering (in-house Professional Engineers using Plaxis numerical modeling for complex excavation scenarios) and field installation using company-owned equipment and crews. The proprietary Driven Soil Nail System, developed in-house, is marketed as reducing installation time by 50% versus conventional shoring.

The business operates as a project-based subcontractor with quote-driven, scope-dependent pricing and no recurring contracts or subscription revenue. Go-to-market is relationship-based enterprise field sales, anchored by Managing Member Alex Smith, PE and Sales Manager Jodie Nixon, PE, supported by a content-marketing engine (engineer-authored technical blog), industry association memberships (ACI, ASCE Geo-Institute, DFI, ADSC-IAFD, ABC Carolinas), and a project portfolio that includes high-visibility work for Duke Health, Balfour Beatty, Brasfield & Gorrie, BE&K, Armada Hoffler, Freddie Mac, the Federal Highway Administration, and the Virginia General Assembly Building. The firm completed a planned founder transition in January 2021, with Greg Sullivan retiring after 25 years and Alex Smith, PE succeeding him as Managing Member alongside partners T.J. Ju, PE (lead design engineer since 2002) and Jodie Nixon, PE.

Ownership remains concentrated among founding partners with no identified external private equity or venture capital. Over 30 years the firm has completed 700+ shoring and micropile projects and maintains two offices (Smithfield NC headquarters and Greenville SC regional). There are no disclosed revenue, headcount, or backlog figures; customer concentration is moderate, spread across multiple tier-one Southeast GCs and several end-market verticals accessed through them.

Name

Subsurface Construction Company, LLC

Legal name

Subsurface Construction Company LLC

Website

https://subsurfaceconstruction.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Subsurface Construction Company, LLC is a privately held design-build geotechnical specialty subcontractor founded in 1994, delivering excavation shoring, deep foundations, and ground improvement services to general contractors across the Southeast United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Geotechnical Construction Services

NAICS

Other Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors (238190), Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors (2381)

SIC

Construction - Special Trade Contractors (1700), Heavy Construction Other Than Bldg Const - Contractors (1600)

akta.pro primary industry

Foundation Remediation & Underpinning (Jack Piles, Resin Injection, Re-leveling) (IMAFAOAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Geotechnical & Subsurface Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAB)

Keywords

• Geotechnical construction services
• Excavation shoring systems
• Deep foundation installation
• Soil nail walls
• Micropile underpinning

Headquarters

HQ city

Smithfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Geotechnical Subcontracting: Revenue generated from providing excavation shoring and deep foundation services as a subcontractor to general contractors. Services include soil nail walls, soldier pile walls, sheet pile walls, micropiles, auger cast piles, aggregate piers, and underpinning. Project-based contracts with pricing determined by scope, complexity, and site conditions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Subsurface Construction Company, LLC is a design-build geotechnical specialty subcontractor that delivers excavation shoring, earth retention, deep foundations, and ground improvement services to general contractors across the Southeastern United States. Its offerings include soil nail walls (including the proprietary Driven Soil Nail System), soldier pile walls, sheet pile walls, secant pile walls, micropiles, auger cast piles, aggregate piers, underpinning, drilling services, and ground anchors. Projects are executed as subcontracted construction work with pricing determined per project by scope, soil conditions, and complexity.

Product overview

Subsurface Construction Company, LLC is a design-build geotechnical specialty contractor offering excavation shoring, earth retention, deep foundations, and ground improvement services. The company's product portfolio centers on geotechnical construction solutions including Soil Nail Walls (conventional and driven variants), Soldier Pile Walls (anchored and cantilevered), Sheet Pile Walls, Secant Pile Walls, and Underpinning services. Deep foundation offerings include Micropiles and Auger Cast Piles, while ground improvement is addressed through Aggregate Piers. Supporting services include Drilling Services and Ground Anchors. Wood Lagging is a key sub-product used in soldier pile wall construction. These products are deployed together on construction projects to provide complete excavation support and foundation solutions, with the company serving general contractors across North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, and Georgia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Soil Nail Walls A top-down retaining wall system in which steel reinforcing bars (soil nails) are drilled and grouted into the soil to provide lateral support for excavations. It is installed more quickly and cost-effectively than alternative shoring systems and is well-suited to Piedmont residual soils. It is delivered as a design-build geotechnical construction service to general contractors in the Southeast.
• Driven Soil Nail Walls A driven soil nail shoring system consisting of driven steel bars with a composite geotextile fabric and wire mesh face. It improves installation time by approximately 50% over conventional shoring methods and is offered as a design-build geotechnical construction service.
• Soldier Pile Walls Anchored or cantilevered excavation shoring system using steel H-piles or W sections with wood lagging or shotcrete facing. It provides flexibility around existing buildings and utilities in dense urban sites. Includes the related Secant Pile Walls variant (continuous interlocking drilled concrete or concrete-filled steel casings) for stiffness-critical sites.
• Sheet Pile Walls Retaining walls constructed using interlocking steel, vinyl, or composite sheets driven into the ground to provide excavation support and earth retention.
• Micropiles High-capacity small-diameter drilled and grouted replacement piles (typically less than 12 inches in diameter) capable of supporting loads from 50 to 500 kips. They overcome difficult ground conditions such as debris fill, boulders, and karst geology and are used where access is constrained, including at depths up to 180 feet.
• Auger Cast Piles A type of deep foundation constructed by drilling with a hollow-stem auger while simultaneously pumping concrete through the auger, creating a pile that transfers structural loads to deeper, competent soils or rock.
• Underpinning Foundation support services using micropile underpinning in conjunction with soil nail shoring to support existing structures adjacent to deep excavations while maintaining structural integrity.
• Aggregate Piers A cost-effective ground improvement solution consisting of columns of compacted stone installed into soft soils to increase stiffness, improve load-bearing capacity, and reduce total and differential settlement.
• Drilling Services Drilling services including small drilled shafts for utilities, light poles, walkway foundations, and other applications requiring specialized drilling equipment.
• Ground Anchors Cement-grouted prestressed steel tendons installed in soil or rock to provide the horizontal force necessary to retain temporary or permanent shoring systems for deep excavations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Driven soil nail walls improve installation time by 50% over conventional shoring methods
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Equipment Corporation of America (ECA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEquipment Corporation of America provided expertise and equipment for the Virginia General Assembly Building limited access micropile project. ECA mechanics disassembled and reassembled drill rig to meet 10,000 lb weight limit for basement access. Toby Anderson with ECA selected appropriate drilling equipment capable of providing sufficient torque in 9 feet of headroom. ECA has also partnered on VA War Memorial secant pile wall project.
• Bell Leadership InstituteminorOthersBell Leadership Institute provides the Achievers training conference attended by company Regional Managers Alex Smith PE and Jodie Nixon PE. The program focuses on personal leadership development and understanding individual behaviors, strengths, and motivations. Bell Leadership Institute has been providing executive education since 1972.
• BoulderscapeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoulderscape provided architectural carved and stained shotcrete finish for Waltonwood senior living project. Company specializes in architectural shotcrete finishes that imitate masonry or native rock, used on permanent soil nail walls and soldier pile walls.
• Armada HofflerminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorArmada Hoffler is the general contractor for the City Center project in Durham, NC - a 25-story mixed use development. Subsurface provided excavation shoring services as subcontractor.
• Austin Lawrence PartnersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAustin Lawrence Partners is the developer for the City Center project in Durham, NC. Subsurface provided excavation shoring services for this 25-story mixed use project with two stories of below grade parking.
• GeoTechnologies, Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeoTechnologies, Inc. is a geotechnical engineering firm that worked on the Waltonwood senior living project in Raleigh, NC, providing geotechnical engineering services alongside Subsurface's soil nail wall construction.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• GeoStructures, Inc. Mid-Atlantic specialty contractor providing ground improvement (aggregate piers, vibro compaction), micropiles, and earth retention. Strong East Coast overlap with Subsurface's NC/VA footprint and similar size profile.
• Schnabel Foundation Company: Design-build specialty foundation contractor offering earth retention (soil nail walls, soldier pile walls, sheet piling), underpinning, and micropiles. Strong East Coast presence makes it a direct peer competing for similar GC relationships and project scopes.
• Nicholson Construction Company: Specialty geotechnical contractor providing micropiles, anchors, soil nailing, and ground improvement for heavy civil and building projects across the US. Closest direct competitor in service mix (micropiles, anchors, underpinning) and delivery model.
• Bencor Corporation of America: Specialty foundation contractor performing slurry walls, secant pile walls, micropiles, and ground improvement for heavy civil and building projects. Comparable in offering complex shoring systems to GCs and infrastructure owners.
• Condon-Johnson & Associates: West Coast-headquartered geotechnical contractor delivering drilled shafts, micropiles, soil nail walls, soldier pile walls, and ground improvement. Comparable design-build specialty contractor model serving GCs on commercial and infrastructure projects.
• Berkel & Company Contractors: Specialty geotechnical contractor delivering auger cast piles, drilled shafts, micropiles, and ground improvement across the Eastern US. Direct comparable in pile-based foundation services to GCs and developers.
• Goettle Construction Company: Midwest-based specialty foundation contractor offering earth retention, micropiles, auger cast piles, and ground improvement. Similar family/privately-owned specialty contractor profile with comparable service mix and design-build delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• Hayward Baker (Keller Group): Largest North American geotechnical specialty contractor (subsidiary of Keller Group), offering soil nailing, micropiles, ground improvement, and underpinning nationwide. Direct overlap with Subsurface's service portfolio and customer base, but operating at significantly larger scale and geographic breadth.
• Moretrench Industrial (a Hayward Baker company): Established geotechnical and dewatering contractor serving heavy civil and industrial markets across the Eastern US. Overlap with Subsurface on deep excavation shoring projects, though broader portfolio includes dewatering and environmental remediation.

Others

• Equipment Corporation of America (ECA): Drilling rig manufacturer and foundation equipment supplier that has partnered with Subsurface on limited-access micropile projects. Functions as an equipment and technical advisor rather than direct competitor; useful peer for understanding the supply chain and technology ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/subsurface-construction-company-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Subsurface Construction Company, LLC