For industry stalwart The Turner Corp., Dallas, the last 10 months have truly been the best of times and the worst of times. The New York native's joy over record revenue in 2001 and its milestone centennial birthday this year have been tempered by its prominent role in clearing one Ground Zero quadrant.
There, subsidiary Turner Construction Co., still based in Manhattan, toiled tirelessly through the winter to deliver last month its part of the 16-acre former World Trade Center site. Stemming from the Sept. 11 attacks, it was a job that touched the whole company. "Our entire organization took pride in our response and in the fact that we were called to Ground Zero at the very earliest stages," says Chairman and CEO Thomas C. Leppert.
Noting that the company has also been active in repairs at the Pentagon, Leppert says the experiences illustrate how the firm's evolution has paralleled the tragedies and triumphs of the U.S. during the last century. At internal celebrations across the U.S., Leppert has made it a point to tell employees how tied in they are to the collective American experience. This, despite the fact that Turner was purchased in 1999 by German giant Hochtief AG.
To honor its founder and his creation's ensuing industry contributions, Turner and the National Building Museum this spring established the Henry C. Turner Prize for Innovation in Construction Technology. At a Washington, D.C., gala in May, the first-ever prize went to renowned structural engineer Leslie E. Robertson, who burst on the scene 30 years ago with his daring work on the new World Trade Center in New York.
History books aside, Turner's financial books were bulging last year. Overall, in response to our annual GIANTS survey, the firm reported $6.5 billion in 2001 building revenue for the commercial, industrial and institutional markets. The total once again made Turner No. 1 in our contractors category, a title it has held tight since 1978.
Celebrating its 100th anniversary this year (see profile above), the contractor saw its revenue increase 10% to a record high last year. Projects completed in the last year include Invesco Field at Mile High, Denver, and Montefiore Children's Hospital, Bronx, N.Y.
Sports, health-care and retail buildings were strong segments for the contractor in 2001. Projects of note include Reliant Stadium, Houston; CMGI Field, Foxboro, Mass.; the Delta Terminal at Boston's Logan International Airport; and Crawford Long Hospital, Atlanta.
3 (4) $2,898.36
BE&K Inc. Birmingham, AL (205) 972-6000, www.bek.com
Though the industrial market struggled mightily in 2001, high-performing manufacturing, telecommunications and food segments boosted company revenue. Projects included a Honda automotive manufacturing plant in Alabama and a themed hotel in Orlando, Fla.
Company revenue was divided between commercial (59%), institutional (25%) and industrial (16%). Projects under way or completed in 2001 include the Jacobi Medical Center, Bronx, N.Y., and the Lincoln Square mixed-use development, Bellevue, Wash.
The bulk of Clark's revenue was from institutional (46%) and commercial (41%) work. Projects included convention centers in Washington, D.C., Orange County, Calif., and Boston; Seattle and Chicago airports; and the Gannett/USA Today headquarters, McLean, Va.
Two semiconductor plants, a $400 million plant in Hopewell Junction, N.Y., and a $90 million facility in Manassas, Va., were among the company's major projects last year. Others included a $160 million mall in Las Vegas and a neuroscience center in Bethesda, Md.
7 (8) $1,968.99
J.A. Jones Inc. Charlotte, NC (704) 553-3000, www.jajones.com
Company management took measures in 2001 to protect itself against impending bankruptcy of its parent, German-based Philip Holzmann AG, which occurred this spring. Bids for the sale of the company were opened in June, and an announcement is expected this month.
8 (6) $1,800.00
DPR Construction Inc. Redwood City, CA (650) 474-1450, www.dprinc.com
Recent industry trends led the company to open an office in Atlanta in 2001. However, the slow market resulted in a lower-than-forecast backlog of work. Projects include the expansion of a corporate campus in Newark, Calif., and the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco.
The contractor was selected for the $145 million design-build renovation of the Pentagon's wedges 2-5. In all, $465 million of its work in 2001 was design-build. Other projects include a $122 million prison in Herlong, Calif., and a resort and casino in Lakeside, Calif.
10 (13) $1,566.00
J.E. Dunn Group Kansas City, MO (816) 474-8600, www.jedunn.com
The U.S. Postal Service and General Services Administration bestowed awards for quality on the company in 2001. Projects include a $600 million Sprint corporate campus in Overland Park, Kan.; the renovation of the Liberty Memorial, Kansas City, Mo.; and schools in Denver.
11 (33) $1,374.11
Fluor Corp. Aliso Viejo, CA 92656-2606 (949) 349-2000, www.fluor.com
