LeChase Construction has been named the 2024 ENR New York Contractor of the Year.
The Rochester, N.Y.-based firm will be profiled in the July issue of ENR New York, which will feature the region's annual Top Contractor rankings.
LeChase will also be honored at the ENR New York Regional Best Projects Awards this fall.
The 80-year-old firm eclipsed $1 billion in overall revenue for first time in 2023. LeChase consistently ranks as New York’s largest upstate contractor, and it completes more than 300 projects across the state each year. The firm attributes its success to a strong culture and partnerships, as well as diversification of markets and services.
Three of the firm’s top recent projects in the New York region include:
Cornell University – Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science Building (Ithaca, N.Y.)
Currently under construction, the 135,000-sq-ft project is the latest in a number of facilities LeChase has built on the Cornell campus. The L-shaped CIS building consists of two four-story wings and will connect to adjacent Gates Hall–framing a shared quad between the buildings. Upper floors of CIS cantilever out, creating a sheltered terrace on the ground floor. That floor will house a coffee shop, maker space, design studio, classrooms and a commons area. Upper floors will provide space for quiet research and administrative offices as well as research labs. As part of the project, LeChase removed Hoy Baseball Field, which previously occupied the site, and constructed a new baseball field at a new site that will ultimately become a multi-sport athletic complex.
Strong National Museum of Play–Expansion, renovation and parking structure (Rochester, N.Y.)
The recently completed renovation added a number of interactive elements and amenities on the museum’s tight urban campus. The project team worked, while the museum remained open, to deliver a 330,000-sq-ft parking garage with colorful façade; a 90,000-sq-ft expansion with new admissions area, exhibit spaces/attractions, giftshop, restrooms, and offices; a gateway building connecting the garage and museum; an outdoor play area with life-sized elements from Hasbro games; and a 36,000-sq-ft outdoor public plaza including hardscapes, climbing areas and a Kugel Ball fountain.
United Health Services – Wilson Medical Center modernization and expansion (Johnson City, N.Y.)
The first expansion at Wilson Medical Center in more than 30 years, this project added a new 183,000-sq-ft clinical tower with four inpatient medical/surgical units, a new emergency department, MRI suite and rooftop helipad. LeChase heavily leveraged prefabrication during the project–constructing or preassembling seven distinct components offsite to save nearly $1.8 million and more than 38,000 on-site work-hours. As an example, those components included 120 bathroom pods for the private patient rooms. These were delivered to the site complete with fixtures, finishes and plumbing/electrical connection points, then crane lifted into place as each floor was built.
In community service, the firm provides various forms of volunteer, in-kind and monetary support to more than 155 organizations annually. The majority of those organizations are located in New York State. Some projects have involved outdoor landscaping/clean-up, building fences and walkways, painting, and performing various building repairs. The firm has also hosted multiple toolbox builds with elementary students, partnered with local organizations and districts to hold site tours, career days and other events for middle/high school students in various regions. The firm has also served as ACE Mentor advisors for Rochester-area high school students who are already interested in careers in architecture, construction or engineering.
In 2023, LeChase ranked No. 10 on the ENR New York Top Contractor ranking with $803.90 million in regional revenue. The previous year, the firm ranked No. 9 with $643.90 million in revenue. Check out the July issue of ENR New York to learn where LeChase ranks on this year's ranking.
