Horst Excavating
Horst Excavating is a family-owned commercial excavation and sitework contractor in Lancaster, PA, providing preconstruction planning, land development, turn-key sitework, and small-project services to commercial, municipal, educational, and residential clients across the Mid-Atlantic using a fleet of 100+ GPS-enabled heavy equipment.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1961
- HeadquartersLancaster, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Horst Excavating does
Horst Excavating is a family-owned commercial excavation and sitework contractor headquartered in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, operating as a subsidiary of Horst Group Inc. since its founding in 1961. The company provides four integrated service lines: Preconstruction Services (early-stage planning, estimating, and permitting coordination); Land Development & Site Excavation (clearing, demolition, bulk earthwork, soil remediation, and erosion control); Turn-Key Sitework Services (underground utilities, grading, and full-scope site preparation); and a Small Projects Team for sub-$500K engagements requiring quick turnaround. It serves commercial and industrial developers, municipal and government agencies, educational institutions, residential developers, parks and athletic field projects, environmental restoration, and energy infrastructure clients across Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland, primarily within a 90-mile radius of Lancaster.
The business operates a fleet of 100+ owned pieces of heavy equipment supported by GPS-enabled machine control, InSite Software 3D site modeling, in-house drone photography and videography, and remote-operated walk-behind rollers, enabling precise grading and rapid mobilization. Revenue is generated through project-based professional services contracts, functioning as either a prime contractor (direct contract with project owners, contract sizes up to $20 million) or a subcontractor to general contractors, construction managers, and design-build firms. The typical contract range spans $30,000 to $20 million, accommodating a broad mix of project scales.
Go-to-market is enterprise field sales driven by direct outreach, discovery calls, website contact forms, and an active content-marketing and social-media presence across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn. The company is led by President Jason Hess, with a leadership team in which 90% are promoted internally and average employee tenure reaches 10 years, reflecting deep institutional knowledge of Mid-Atlantic site conditions. No external private equity or institutional capital is evidenced, and the company has completed over 2,245 projects across its 65+ year history.
Horst Excavating firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Horst Excavating
- Legal name
- Horst Excavating
- Website
- https://horstexcavating.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1961
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Horst Excavating is a family-owned commercial excavation and sitework contractor in Lancaster, PA, providing preconstruction planning, land development, turn-key sitework, and small-project services to commercial, municipal, educational, and residential clients across the Mid-Atlantic using a fleet of 100+ GPS-enabled heavy equipment.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Horst Excavating industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Excavation and Sitework Services
- NAICS
- Site Preparation Contractors (238910)
- SIC
- Heavy Construction Other Than Bldg Const - Contractors (1600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Design-Build / EPC General Contracting (IMAFAAAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Landscape Grading, Drainage & Site Preparation (HSAIABAD)
Keywords
Where Horst Excavating is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lancaster
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Horst Excavating business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Prime Contractor Projects: Horst Excavating serves as the primary contractor working directly for project owners on commercial excavation and sitework projects. They hold the direct contract with the owner.
- Subcontractor Services: Working as a subcontractor for general contractors, construction managers, or design/build firms on larger construction projects. They hold contracts with the primary construction firm rather than directly with the owner.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Small Projects Team - Projects typically under $30,000 to $500,000 |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Standard Commercial Projects - $500,000 to $5,000,000 |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Large-Scale Projects - $5,000,000 to $20,000,000 |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Horst Excavating product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Horst Excavating is a commercial excavation and sitework contractor delivering preconstruction planning, land clearing and grading, underground utility installation (water, sewer, stormwater), erosion and sediment control, and turnkey site preparation for commercial, municipal, educational, and residential development projects. Services range from small utility repairs to multi-million-dollar land development, executed with an in-house equipment fleet and field workforce.
Product overview
Horst Excavating is a family-owned commercial excavation and sitework contractor offering four integrated service lines: Preconstruction Services (early-stage planning, budgeting, and permitting coordination), Land Development & Site Excavation (clearing, demolition, earthwork, and erosion control), Turn-Key Sitework Services (underground utilities, grading, and full-scope site preparation), and a Small Projects Team (targeted services for smaller projects). These services work together to deliver comprehensive sitework from initial site assessment through final preparation for vertical construction, serving commercial, municipal, educational, and residential community clients.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- 65+ years in business with 2,245+ completed projects demonstrating track record
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Horst Excavating
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Horst Excavating technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Horst Excavating partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- LB WatercoreWaterworks materials supplier with 10 locations throughout Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. LB Water is a longtime valued partner with whom Horst Excavating has completed over 70 projects in 15 years. The partnership exemplifies shared values of honesty, integrity, and open communication, with LB Water demonstrating expertise in evaluating solutions and providing trustworthy insights across diverse projects from large industrial complexes to schools.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Horst Excavating competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Granite Construction: National publicly traded heavy civil contractor with major site development, excavation, and infrastructure operations across the U.S. Overlaps Horst's sitework scope but operates at substantially greater scale and geographic breadth.
Direct peers
- Kinsley Construction: Central Pennsylvania general contractor with significant in-house sitework/excavation services serving commercial, industrial, and institutional clients. Directly comparable in target customer mix and contract size profile.
- Lindy Paving: Western Pennsylvania sitework, excavation, and paving contractor serving commercial and public clients. Overlaps Horst's grading, utility, and site preparation service lines.
- Mascaro Construction: Pittsburgh-headquartered construction company with a substantial excavation and sitework division serving commercial, institutional, and industrial clients in the Mid-Atlantic.
- Brayman Construction Corporation: Western Pennsylvania heavy civil contractor focused on excavation, foundations, and complex sitework for infrastructure and commercial clients. Comparable scale and earthwork specialization.
- H&K Group: Pennsylvania-based heavy civil contractor performing excavation, site development, and paving across the Mid-Atlantic, with aggregate and construction materials operations. Comparable prime-sitework focus and geographic footprint.
- Trumbull Corporation: Pittsburgh-based heavy civil and general contractor performing site preparation, excavation, and utilities across Pennsylvania. Similar mid-Atlantic prime contractor delivery model.
- New Enterprise Stone & Lime Co. Diversified eastern Pennsylvania heavy/civil contractor with excavation, sitework, and aggregate operations. Directly comparable in scope of grading, utilities, and large-scale earthmoving.
- W.S. Cumby & Son: Pennsylvania-based sitework and utility contractor specializing in commercial excavation, grading, and underground utilities. Directly comparable Mid-Atlantic site preparation focus.
- Allan Myers: One of the largest heavy civil and site development contractors in the Mid-Atlantic, performing large-scale earthwork, grading, and utility installation across Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia - directly comparable to Horst's prime-contractor sitework model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Horst Excavating social profiles
Digital presenceHorst Excavating financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Horst Excavating leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Horst Excavating funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Horst Excavating 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 Horst Excavating
What does Horst Excavating do?
Horst Excavating is a commercial excavation and sitework contractor delivering preconstruction planning, land clearing and grading, underground utility installation (water, sewer, stormwater), erosion and sediment control, and turnkey site preparation for commercial, municipal, educational, and residential development projects. Services range from small utility repairs to multi-million-dollar land development, executed with an in-house equipment fleet and field workforce.
Is Horst Excavating a public or private company?
Horst Excavating is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Horst Excavating founded?
Horst Excavating was founded in 1961.
Where is Horst Excavating based?
Horst Excavating is headquartered in Lancaster, United States, in the North America region.
How does Horst Excavating make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Prime Contractor Projects are the primary driver. The others are subcontractor Services.
Who are Horst Excavating's main competitors?
Granite Construction is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are Kinsley Construction, Lindy Paving, Mascaro Construction, Brayman Construction Corporation, H&K Group, Trumbull Corporation, New Enterprise Stone & Lime Co., W.S. Cumby & Son and Allan Myers.
Does Horst Excavating have an API?
No public API is recorded for Horst Excavating.
What industry is Horst Excavating in?
Horst Excavating's product category is Excavation and Sitework Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAFAAAD, Design-Build / EPC General Contracting, with a secondary code of HSAIABAD, Landscape Grading, Drainage & Site Preparation. Its NAICS code is 238910 and its SIC code is 1600.