Texas Construction's 135 Top Contractors

Around the State, Contractors Remain Texas Tough

By Eileen Schwartz

Texas Construction presents its annual Top Contractors' ranking, and the results show that contractors around the state are holding steady. The top firms in Texas collectively billed more than $13 billion in the state in 2004 and approximately $50 billion from all projects.

Texas Construction presents its 10th annual Top Contractors ranking. The list grew from last year's 125 to 135 this year.

In addition to being a statewide ranking, the list includes total company revenue for work performed outside Texas. The ranking is also industrywide, meaning it includes all general contractors from building and heavy/highway firms to construction management companies and all general contracting firms in between.

Texas Construction made every effort to reach as many general contracting and construction management firms in Texas as possible, including some out-of-state contractors with offices in Texas. The information provided in the list is derived from each firm's returned survey form, and ranking is based on each firm's 2004 reported revenue for work performed in the state.

A handful of firms that have participated in the past opted not to see where their companies ranked this year. The list of top contractors, nevertheless, continues to grow each year as word spreads in the construction community about this important industry survey.

Last year's top contractors reported approximately $13.2 billion collectively billed in 2003. Total revenue reported this year for 2004 edged up slightly to approximately $13.3 billion despite the fact that Houston-based Kellogg, Brown & Root, last year's runner up with a reported $745 million total in Texas, chose not to participate this year.

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Taking the top spot in this year's Top Contractors ranking for the second year in a row was Austin Industries of Dallas, with approximately $1.1 billion total reported from its Texas operations for 2004 and $1.2 billion for overall projects.

The majority of the company's revenue continues to be in transportation projects, but Austin Industries is also a leader in general building and industrial work. In November the company's subsidiary, Austin Commercial, was awarded a design-build contract estimated at $250 million for the new Texas Instruments 1 million-sq.-ft. research and manufacturing plant in Richardson.

San Antonio-based Zachry took the runner-up spot this year, moving up from last year's third slot with $570.2 million, the majority of which is from highway/heavy and industrial work. In May the firm was awarded a $62 million contract from the Port of Houston Authority for wharf construction and dredging.

Zachry's bid for the contract includes a stated commitment to meet or exceed the PHA's requirements for promoting environmental quality, small business subcontractor participation and community outreach.

Williams Brothers Construction and Gilbane Building, both of Houston, retained their places in the top five. Gilbane moved up from last year's fifth spot to No. 3 with $444.7 million, the majority of which came from general building projects. Williams Brothers kept its place from last year in the fourth spot while remaining the overall leader in the transportation building category with $401.5 million.

Rounding out the top five this year is Dallas-based The Beck Group, which ranked sixth last year.

Findings from this year's ranking show that 42 contractors reported earnings in excess of $100 million for 2004, down by just two from the previous year. While the reported revenue for work performed in-state was approximately $13.6 billion, total revenue from all projects including national and international amounted to approximately $50 billion, up from last year's $44 billion tally.

As part of this special report and at the end of the Top Contractors listings, we included the top companies ranked by revenue in seven different categories followed by profiles of five firms chosen to represent regional diversity of projects and companies around the state.

Texas Top 135 Contractors List>>

Contracting Firm Profiles:
DE Harvey >>
Hensel Phelps >>
SEDALCO >>
Hisaw & Associates >>
Lyda Swinerton >>