The 125 Texas firms in our 15th annual Top Contractor rankings collectively billed about $24 billion in the state in 2009, a decrease of about $1 billion reported from the 2008, when we listed an additional five firms for a total of 130. Worldwide, the collective revenue generated by the 125 participating firms decreased from the previous year by about $20 billion; $80.4 billion was reported from all revenue worldwide compared to the previous year’s $102.8 billion. That $80.4 billion, however, is not drastically different than the $82.5 billion from the Top Contractors total of 2007, considered by many to be a robust year for Texas.
Other findings from the ranking, found on the following pages, include our specialty categories. These so-called “breakout rankings” arrange contractors by different types of construction. These follow the main chart.
Additionally, this year we show that 94 firms reported earnings of $50 million or more of instate revenue, a difference of only three less than 2008. Sixty firms reported earnings in excess of $100 million, eight less than the 2008 ranking.
The top ten Austin Industries of Dallas reclaims its No.1 spot, with $1.44 billion in Texas revenue. Last year it ranked No. 2.
Kiewit Corp. of Fort Worth moves into the No. 2 spot from last year’s No. 4, with approximately $1.3 billion from its Texas operations. The firm reported nearly $8.8 billion for all work worldwide.
Climbing into the No. 3 spot with $910 million is Balfour Beatty USA of Dallas, which ranked No. 37 last year. The firm acquired Houston-based SpawMaxwell Co. last year. While SpawMaxwell will continue to operate, it is now part of Balfour Beatty. SpawMaxwell ranked No. 21 overall last year and was No. 1 in the interiors category.
In the No. 4 spot is Zachry Holdings of San Antonio with $873 million. Zachry was No. 1 overall in last year.
Moving up to No. 5 is Gilbane Building Co. of Houston with $755 million, nearly $200 million more than the firm reported last year, when it placed No. 7 overall.
Rounding out the top 10 are: No. 6, Houston-based David E. Harvey Builders., with Texas revenue of $725 million; No. 7, Manhattan Construction Co. of Houston with $617 million in Texas; No. 8, W.W. Webber of Houston with $522 million all from transportation revenue and taking the No. 1 spot in that category for the first time in these pages; No. 9, Hensel Phelps Construction Co. of Austin with $520 million; and No. 10, Turner Industries Group LLC of Pasadena with $468 from petroleum, industrial and power revenue.
Specialty categories Firms leading the break-out categories that did not make the top ten were: Archer Western Contractors of Arlington, which keeps its top spot from last year, topping the breakout listings in the sewage/waste disposal and water categories. The firm moved up one spot in the overall list to No. 14 with $443.5 in total Texas revenue.
Linbeck Group of Houston, which tops the list in the entertainment category, placed No. 17 on the Top Contractors list with $409 million total revenue, while Hunt Construction Co. of Dallas took the second spot in the entertainment category, and ranked No. 15 overall with $410.7 in regional revenue.
The Beck Group of Dallas in the No. 19 spot with $399.7 million, came out on top in the retail category while Houston-based Tellepsen, No. 16 overall with $409 million, leads the pack in the religious/cultural category.
Conducting the survey Texas Construction’s top-list rankings are conducted via an online survey much like those of Engineering News-Record, also a McGraw-Hill Construction publication. We attempt to reach as many firms working in Texas as possible.
The results are based on information each firm provides. We include valuable information about each firm such as their specialty and Web site address. Remember, the list includes only firms that fill out the survey. Please let us know if you’d like to be added to our database by contacting editor-in-chief, Eileen Schwartz at eileen_schwartz@mcgraw-hill.com and our database manager, Richard Mui, richard_mui@mcgraw-hill.com.
