The U.S. is the second largest construction market in the world following China. While commercial construction may be slumping due to the pandemic, some big firms may still have subcontracting opportunities available.

Using some independent methodology, Contractor News has ranked the top 10 you should keep an eye on this year.

1. Bechtel remains the undisputed big boss of the construction world since 2016. While based in the United States, they have major projects in the United Kingdom and Australia including the Crossrail and airport in London and Sydney’s Metro system. They also work on the concrete arch at the Hoover Dam. Check out this flashy video showcasing their work. In 2019, the construction behemoth raked in $21.8 billion in revenue.

2. The Turner Corporation, based out of New York City, has some major projects under its belt including the United Nations headquarters, the Chase Bank headquarters, Madison Square Garden, a stadium in Columbus, Ohio and a convention center in Anaheim, California. Its 2019 revenue was $15.28 billion, and the company works on up to 1,500 projects per year.

3. The Fluor Corporation comes in at number two on our list, with $14.3 billion in revenue in 2019. The company boasts of its building of the 800-mile long Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, with the first barrel of oil making its way down the massive tube in 1977. At the time, it was the largest floating berth in the world. It’s also the largest publicly traded construction company in the world. 

4. We’re putting the Kiewit Corporation at number four on our list. It’s an employee-owned company and it built the TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska, the Salt Lake City University Line, the Holland Performing Arts Center, also in Omaha, the Homestead Motorsports Complex in Florida, the I-229 Corridor in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and more. With 22,000 employees in the US and Canada, Kiewit took in revenues totalling $10.6 billion in 2019.

5. The Chicago Bridge & Iron Company may not be based in Chicago (it’s in Texas), or specialize in iron or bridge work, but its impact is present all over. They constructed the Yankee Stadium Subway Stationin New York City but specialize in the oil industry. They famously pumped 50 billion gallons of water out of New Orleans in only 17 days after the city was flooded by Hurricane Katrina, two months ahead of the expected timeline. The company saw $6.7 billion in revenue in 2017.

6. Jacobs Engineering Group works on aerospace, infrastructure, industrial construction and petroleum and chemical industries. The company helped construct NASA’s Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-02, which detects and measures antimatter and cosmic rays from on board the International Space Station. Jacobs’ 2018 revenues reached $14.98 billion.

7. The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company saw 2019 revenues totally $9.8 billion and is considered one of the largest private businesses in the US, with 50 locations across the country. Whiting-Turner is known for its construction of the Porsche North America headquarters, the Fort Wort Zoo African Savanna, Ruby City in San Antonio, and more. This company can build anything, even roller coasters.

8. Skanska USA has lead construction on the MetLife Stadium which is able to seat 82,500 fans of both the New York Giants and the New York Jets. They’ve also built the World Trade Center Transportation Hub. Its parent company, based in Sweden, took in a whopping $172.8 billion (with a B) in 2019. As we have previously reported, Skanska is currently leading the repair efforts on Florida’s Pensacola Bay Bridge after one of the company’s barges broke loose and crashed into it during a hurricane.

9. AECOM’s claim to fame may be its construction of the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center in 1973 and One World Trade Center, the new building placed at the site. They also aided first responders in the aftermath of the attacks on 9/11. At a height of 1,776 feet tall, One World Trade Center is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. AECOM has also built One Shenzhen Bay in China and Warner Brothers World in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. The company made $11.1 billion in revenue in 2019.

10. PCL Construction is known for its construction of the Pauley Pavilion at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The American Dream Meadowlands in New Jersey, and more. With more than 14,000 employees, the company pulled in $9.57 billion in revenue in 2019.

Photo via Flickr.