Buying a site work company in Jacksonville and Northeast Florida

Jacksonville and Northeast Florida has 131 established site work companies by our count: companies in business at least 15 years that still file with the state every year and aren't part of a larger group. Of those, 83% have been in business 20 years or more, and at least 49% hold a state license. Most will never be listed for sale, and many of their owners have never been asked.

131

established companies

83%

built over 20+ years

$823k+

a year, earned by the top quarter

49%

hold a state license

What it takes to own one

Site work companies in Jacksonville and Northeast Florida come in every size. Here's what owning one could look like at three levels, from a solid company to one of the leaders, with a small business loan covering most of the price.

A solid company

Earns about: $274,000 a year
Price about: $808,000
Your cash: $113,000
Could pay you: up to $128,000 a year

A strong company

Top quarter in Jacksonville and Northeast Florida

Earns about: $823,000 a year
Price about: $2.4 million
Your cash: $340,000
Could pay you: up to $385,000 a year

One of the leaders

Top tenth in Jacksonville and Northeast Florida

Earns about: $1.3 million a year
Price about: $3.7 million
Your cash: $516,000
Could pay you: up to $585,000 a year

Earnings are owner earnings: profit plus what the owner pays themselves, before loan payments and taxes. They and the prices are our estimates from public records, not the owners' figures, and we value companies like these at about 3.0 times a year's owner earnings. Your cash covers the down payment and closing costs, and what the business could pay you is what's left after the loan payments and the cushion lenders require. The more cash you bring, the further up you can go.

Age, size and location

Revenue is our estimate from public records, grouped into wide ranges.

In business	Companies
Under 20 years	22
20 to 29 years	71
30 to 39 years	25
40 years or more	13

Estimated yearly revenue	Companies
Under $1M	17
$1M to $2M	14
$2M to $4M	8
$4M to $8M	12
Over $8M	6

County	Companies
Duval	81
St. Johns	19
Clay	10
Nassau	9
Putnam	7
Baker	5

Town	Companies
Jacksonville	76
St. Augustine	7
Saint Augustine	5

What the best site work companies have in common

A mix of customers (several developers and general contractors, maybe some public work), not one builder whose next subdivision may not happen.
Well-maintained equipment with service records, and a sensible balance of owned and financed machines. Idle financed equipment drains cash fast.
Careful estimates, real job costs, and production rates the company tracks (pipe laid or paving placed by a crew in a day).
Experienced foremen and operators who are staying.
Enough bonding capacity for the jobs it wants to bid.
A safety record that keeps insurance affordable and customers comfortable.
Its own yard, with room for equipment and material.

What to check before you buy

An equipment list with age, hours, condition, liens, and whether each machine is owned or financed. Have a mechanic inspect the major pieces.
Equipment loans and leases, and whether lenders must approve a sale.
Backlog by job, with expected margin, and how much sits with one customer.
Job cost reports for finished projects, especially the losing ones.
Retainage and other money owed, and how long customers take to pay.
Environmental issues at the yard: fuel tanks, spills, stockpiled material.
Utility strikes, safety incidents and OSHA history, including trench and excavation safety.
Bonding capacity, and the surety's view of a new owner.
Fill and material sources: whether it relies on one pit or supplier, and on what terms.

Questions to ask the owner

Who are your biggest customers, and how much of last year's work came from each?
What licenses does the company hold, and who's the qualifier?
How old is your equipment, and what would you replace next?
How do you estimate jobs, and which kinds make the most money?
How much public work do you do, and how is your bonding set up?
Who runs the crews, and which foremen would stay?
Have you hit any buried lines or had serious safety incidents?

To learn what these companies do, which licenses they need and how ownership works, read our full guide to buying a site work company in Florida.

Owning a company in Jacksonville and Northeast Florida

The local economy

This region covers Duval, St. Johns, Clay, Nassau, Baker and Putnam counties: Jacksonville, Jacksonville Beach, St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra Beach, Orange Park, Fleming Island, Green Cove Springs, Fernandina Beach, Yulee, Macclenny and Palatka. Jacksonville merged with most of Duval County in 1968, which makes it the largest city by land area in the lower 48 states.

The economy leans on logistics, the Navy and financial services. Logistics runs through JAXPORT, major rail lines and the meeting of Interstates 95 and 10. The Navy has Naval Air Station Jacksonville and Naval Station Mayport. Insurance and health care matter too. St. Augustine, founded by the Spanish in 1565, and Amelia Island draw steady tourism. Trucking and logistics firms, the building trades, medical practices and home services all fit this market.

What's different about owning a company here

Northeast Florida is less seasonal than South or Southwest Florida, with fewer winter residents and more year-round employers. Direct hurricane landfalls have been less common here than on other parts of the coast, but storms still bring flooding along the St. Johns River and the beaches, so check insurance costs and flood zones.

Military families bring skilled workers and working spouses into the labor pool, though they also move on when orders change. St. Johns, Clay and Nassau have added the most new homes, and companies serving those suburbs have grown with them. Georgia is close, and some companies here serve customers across the state line. Work in Georgia may need Georgia licenses, so ask how much revenue comes from there and who holds those licenses.