The commercial building industry is booming. About 69% of companies on Engineering News-Record’s ENR 2019 Top 400 Contractors saw an increase in revenue in 2018 compared to 2017, and the 373 businesses that responded to ENR’s poll as a whole produced a record-breaking $405 billion in contracting revenue in 2018, an increase of around 8% over the previous year.
Construction Dive has carefully examined the top 10 companies by 2018 contractual revenue listed by ENR to learn more about the factors behind the rise. Take a peek at some high-profile projects and interesting information to learn more about these industry heavyweights. Moreover, contrast this year’s ranking with the previous one.
- Bechtel $16.8 billion in revenue
Office location: Reston, VA
Ownership: Individual
Previous year’s position: 1
High-profile projects include Tellurian’s $27.5 billion Driftwood LNG export station next to Lake Charles, Louisiana, and Cheniere Energy’s $11 billion Liquefaction project in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Bechtel has topped the list for a remarkable 21 years running. On Forbes’ ranking of the biggest privately held American corporations, it comes in at number 11.
Revenue for Fluor: $15.6 billion
Office location: Irving, Texas
Ownership: Open (NYSE: FLR)
2 last year’s ranking
High-profile initiatives include Bayer’s first-of-its-kind cell culture technology centre in Berkeley, California, and a joint venture with Balfour Beatty for a $1.7 billion Dallas highway deal.
Interesting fact: Fluor leads all US construction companies in the industrial and petroleum sectors.
- Turner Corp. $13 billion in revenue
Administration: New York City
Ownership: Hochtief, a publicly traded German business that owns Turner, is the company’s parent.
3 last year’s position
High-profile initiatives: A joint venture with AECOM Hunt is building the new $4.5 billion Los Angeles Rams stadium.
Fascinating fact: Since the company’s establishment in 1902, Turner has helped build a number of New York City landmarks, including Madison Square Garden, Lincoln Center, and Yankee Stadium.
- AECOM Earnings of $11.2 billion
Corporate: Los Angeles
Ownership: Open (NYSE: ACM)
4 was last year’s position.
High-profile project: The Grand, a $1 billion mixed-use building by Related Cos. in downtown Los Angeles.
Interesting fact: For the sixth straight year, AECOM was recognised as one of Fortune magazine’s “World’s Most Admired Companies” in January.
- Whiting-Turner Earnings of $8.4 billion
Maryland’s capital is Baltimore
Ownership: Individual
8 was last year’s position.
High-profile projects include the $5.5 billion, 235-acre Port Covington waterfront redevelopment project in Baltimore, Maryland, and the $1.5 billion Amazon air hub at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport (in a joint venture with Kokosing Construction Co.).
The Reach, a brand-new outdoor stage and performance venue at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., is expected to debut this fall. Whiting-Turner is in charge of overseeing development.
- Kiewit Corp. $8.2 billion in revenue
Headquarters: Nebraska, Omaha
Owned by the employees
Prior year’s ranking: 5
High-profile projects include the $5 billion LNG export plant in Louisiana and the $1.4 billion light rail expansion in the Seattle area.
Interesting fact: Peter Kiewit and Andrew Kiewit founded Kiewit Brothers, a masonry construction business, in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1884.
- Skanska USA: $7.5 billion in revenue
American headquarters are in New York City.
Ownership: The publicly traded Swedish company Skanska AB owns Skanska USA.
6th place from the prior year
Redevelopment of LaGuardia Airport, a $60 million portion of the East Side Access project in New York City, and a $39 million school contract in Washington State are all well-known projects.
Interesting fact: The business provides Kask helmets rather than hard hats to workers on construction sites.
PCL Construction Enterprises Inc., $6.9 billion in revenue
Corporate: Denver
Owned by the employees
7 was last year’s position.
High-profile projects include a new hospital being built in Grand Forks, North Dakota, in a partnership with a local company called Community Contractors.
Fascinating information: PCL Construction and CopperTree Analytics are collaborating to integrate data and energy analytics services into both new and existing buildings.
- McDermott International Inc., $6.7 billion in revenue
American headquarters: Houston
Ownership: Open (NYSE: MDR)
Rank from the prior year: 9
High-profile project: The Golden Pass project with Chiyoda International Corp. and Zachry Group as joint venture partners.
Fun fact: Last year, McDermott and CB&I merged in a $6 billion merger.
- $5.8 billion in revenue for DPR Construction
American headquarters: Redwood City, Calif.
Owned by the employees
15th place from the prior year
A well-known project is the Mayo Clinic West development in Phoenix, which will add a 583,800-square-foot, seven-story structure.
Interesting fact: DPR is a flat company, which means that its management committee shares leadership responsibilities rather than having a CEO.
