Drywall, prefab and plaster contractor Baker Triangle has been selected as ENR Texas & Louisiana’s 2018 Specialty Contractor of the Year.

The Mesquite, Texas-based firm began as a family-owned business in 1974, and today employs more than 1,700 individuals in six offices across the state.

As the Texas economy continues to be strong, both private and public money is being spent on new buildings, new improvements and expansions within all the markets Baker Triangle serves, such as healthcare, hospitality, higher education, K-12, religious institutions, aviation, warehouse/distribution and multi-family residential.

That market strength and density of projects helped spur a $30 million uptick in regional revenue in 2017 over 2016 for the firm. In 2016, Baker Triangle also formally expanded into the Bryan/College Station market, which is a gap market representing several hundred million a year in commercial construction.

Among Baker Triangle’s most notable projects completed in the past year are the Southwest Airlines Flight Training Center, a 367,000-sq-ft facility that was built with an incredibly fast-paced schedule. Baker’s contract was over $7 million and this project included some very high end ceiling work throughout.

Another project was Aloft Hotel. Baker Triangle’s prefab division did the entire exterior of the tower portion of the project, levels 5-33, using prefabricated panels. Teams installed studs, sheathing, waterproofing, exterior insulation and finish systems (EIFS), metal panels, and glazing in a controlled manufacturing environment in Dallas, then driven three hours south to Austin to be installed at night. Baker Triangle built and installed 473 panels for this project – the largest being 14 ft by 40 ft.

In 2017, Baker Triangle was involved with five charity golf tournaments that raised a total of $172,000. The firm also gave thousands to other charity sponsorships throughout the year, provided for Houston flood victims, and participates in water, blanket and coat drives annually for OurCalling.

Look for more on Baker Triangle in the Dec. 17 issue of ENR Texas & Louisiana.