Demolition and wrecking contractors provide a specialized role in construction projects. They’re called in to level infrastructures and tear built spaces apart. But their importance spans beyond destroying things. They also:
- clear and recycle debris,
- handle hazardous materials,
- and offer decontamination services.
Without their services, there would be no place left to build.
Demo contractors are a smaller group than many other sectors. Only about 22,000 people work in demolition, compared to 80,000 roofers and 230,000 masonry contractors.
With industry revenue at $8.7B in 2023, demolition and wrecking services comprise just .04% of the total US construction market. This small market share makes sense considering demo teams are only involved in projects when another structure has to be torn down or cleared out first.
33 of the Biggest Demo and Wrecking Contractors
Engineering News-Record (ENR) and Demolition & Recycling Magazine closely watch the top demo and wrecking contractors. Their annual Top 600 Specialty Contractors and Demolition & Recycling International Top 100 lists monitor the biggest demolition companies around the world.
Those lists can be a lot to sort through, so we’ve done the heavy lifting and identified 33 demolition contractors in the US that generate over $25 million in annual revenue.
8 Demo and Wrecking Contractors to Watch
A few of these demo and wrecking contractors caught our attention. Partly because they’re consistently recognized by ENR and D&RI. And partly because, even at 40, 50, 100+ million in revenue, they’re still growing by 10% or more yearly.
Here are the eight demo contractors that have risen to the top.
1. Independence Excavating, Inc.
Headquarters: Cleveland, OH
Revenue: $139.8 million
YOY Growth Rate: 48%
Independence Excavating, Inc. is a trusted, nationwide demolition leader that got its start as a father-son duo in 1956. What was once a backhoe, bulldozer, and a single truck has grown into one of the largest demolition contractors in the country. Today, its 1,000+ person team tackles challenging projects across the Midwest.
Independence Excavating provides heavy civil construction services for some of the largest public and private projects. Its capabilities include environmental remediation, concrete paving, aggregate crushing, and recycling. It owns and operates four recycling yards and produces four million tons of materials each year.
Learn more on Independence Excavating’s website.
2. North American Dismantling Corp.
Headquarters: Lapeer, MI
Revenue: $49.1 million
YOY Growth Rate: 42%
North American Dismantling Corp. (NADC) is an experienced demolition contractor known for its heavy industrial work. It might look like a small contractor from the outside with its single office in a small Michigan city, but its team has completed thousands of projects from New York to Hawaii.
NADC specializes in heavy industrial demolition and strip-outs. They offer turnkey industrial and commercial solutions, plus expertise in engineering, environmental assessment, remediation, and specialty construction. Impressively, NADC has a D&B rating of 4A1, with a Financial Stress Score of Class 1—meaning the company is financially sound, an impressive feat for any trade contractor.
Learn more on North American Dismantling’s website.
3. Adamo Group Inc.
Headquarters: Detroit, MI
Revenue: $39 million
YOY Growth Rate: 37%
Adamo Group has been a leader in the demolition industry for over 50 years. It has grown from a small, family-run business into a national decontamination, decommissioning, and demolition business partner. Its outstanding safety record is evident by its Safe Work Practices Award from the Construction Association of Michigan for nine years running.
Adamo offers a single source for all things demolition and site reclamation. It provides demolition, asset recovery, site decommissioning, site preparation, and environmental abatement services. Clients also turn to Adamo for consultative advice on environmental issues and regulatory mandates related to demolition projects.
Learn more on Adamo Group’s website.
4. Veit & Co. Inc.
Headquarters: Rogers, MN
Revenue: $46.9 million
YOY Growth Rate: 23%
Veit & Co. is one of the oldest demolition contractors in the country. Frank Veit started the company in 1928 with a single Chevy pickup truck. Today, this third-generation family-owned contractor has 800+ team members and four offices in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Veit tackles large and complex projects across every sector. It specializes in demolition, foundations, earthwork, utilities, marine, industrial cleaning, CIPP, and disposal
Plus, it operates an entire disposal system, including a roll-off disposal division, multiple landfills, and a recycling and transfer facility.
Learn more on Veit’s website.
5. D.H. Griffin Wrecking Co. Inc.
Headquarters: Greensboro, NC
Revenue: $260.1 million
YOY Growth Rate: 21%
D.H. Griffin Wrecking Co. (DHGW) is the second-largest demolition contractor in the US. Since 1959, it has grown from two sledgehammers and a truck to over 1,000 employees and offices in eight Southern and Mid-Atlantic states. DHGW reports it “has the financial strength and manpower to honor any commitments that we enter into.”
The company started with just demolition services. Over the decades, it has expanded into environmental remediation, infrastructure, and industrial contracting. It provides explosive and structural demolition, selective demolition and strip-out work, dismantling, and emergency demolition services for public and private sector contracts.
Learn more on D.H. Griffin’s website.
6. Bierlein Cos. Inc.
Headquarters: Midland, MI
Revenue: $95.7 million
YOY Growth Rate: 19%
Bierlein Cos. Inc. is a family-owned and operated demolition contractor with full-service capabilities from coast to coast. Its nationwide field offices employ over 300 people. The company headquarters is an impressive 27-acre campus with a 50,000 sq. ft. maintenance facility and a 500,000 sq. ft. warehouse.
Bierlein is a single source for demolition, environmental, and crane and rigging services. It specializes in heavy industrial demolition, commercial, power plant dismantling, decommissioning, asset recovery, and remediation projects.
Learn more on Bierlein’s website.
7. Penhall Co.
Headquarters: Anaheim, CA
Revenue: $255.4 million
YOY Growth Rate: 16%
Penhall Co. is a leader in concrete cutting and removal services. It’s the third-largest demolition contractor and the country's largest provider of concrete cutting, scanning, breaking, excavation, grinding, and removal services Penhall was founded in 1957 and acquired by Centerbridge Partners in 2010. It operates over 40 branches, employs 1,300+ people, and has 16,000 customers.
Penhall is the go-to concrete services partner for a wide range of industries across the US and Canada. It has the resources to take on any size contract but considers no job too specialized or small.
Learn more on Penhall’s website.
8. Brandenburg Industrial Service Co.
Headquarters: Elmhurst, IL
Revenue: $299.5 million
YOY Growth Rate: 13%
Brandenburg Industrial Service Co. is one of the country’s premier demolition and environmental remediation contractors. It has been practicing green demolition techniques since its founding in 1968. It has seven regional offices across the country with 800+ employees.
Brandenburg’s services include demolition and environmental remediation, including asbestos abatement, hazardous material removal, soil remediation, asset recovery, and site preparation. It completes 200 projects a year and specializes in projects that present challenging operational constraints.
Learn more on Brandenburg’s website.
What the Top Demo and Wrecking Contractors Have in Common
Beyond revenue and growth numbers, these demo contractors all have quite a bit in common, especially their evolution stories.
Most came from humble beginnings—one or two people starting a business with a truck and a couple of tools. They worked hard. They worked smart. And they were really good at what they did. Plus, the choices they made early on in their businesses helped set them up for success, including:
- Recognizing that they needed to specialize in mitigating environmental damage. So they scaled operations to help them do just that.
- Investing in the right tools to propel their growth growth. Most demo contractors on this list tout their total machinery value as a competitive advantage.
- Developing the capabilities to take on larger projects early on. Some of this is driven by having the right equipment, but it’s also a product of maintaining a strong cash position.
- Streamlining their operations. They have tight processes and have embraced technology to automate key business functions.
We work with a lot of trade contractors at Siteline who are striving to strengthen their cash positions. They use our construction billing software to create faster billing workflows, reduce payment delays, and prioritize projects from GCs that pay on time. In the long run, it helps them build more working capital so they can bid on more projects.
Want to unlock 6x efficiency in your billing workflow so you can get paid three weeks faster? Check out our pay app management software in action.
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