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Aug. 11, 2010
13 min read

Thriving Turner celebrates somber centennial

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.

1 (1) $6,516.75 The Turner Corp. Dallas, TX (214) 915-9600, www.turnerconstruction.com 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.
2 (2) $5,205.40 Skanska Whitestone, NY (718) 767-2600, www.skanskausa.com 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.
4 (3) $2,804.20 Bovis Lend Lease New York, NY (212) 592-6700, www.bovislendlease.com 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.
5 (5) $2,318.45 Clark Construction Group Inc. Bethesda, MD (301) 272-8100, www.clarkconstruction.com 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.
6 (9) $2,272.40 The Whiting-Turner Contracting Co. Baltimore, MD (410) 821-1100, www.whiting-turner.com 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.
9 (11) $1,578.26 Hensel Phelps Construction Co. Greeley, CO (970) 352-6565, www.henselphelps.com 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
12 (36) $1,351.80 Hunt Construction Group Indianapolis, IN 46241 (317) 227-7800, www.huntconstructiongroup.com
13 (10) $1,319.85 Centex Construction Group Dallas, TX 75229 (214) 981-5000, www.centex.com
14 (21) $1,195.96 Perini Corp. Framingham, MA 01701-9160 (508) 628-2000, www.perini.com
15 (16) $1,165.50 Hoffman Corp. Portland, OR 97205 (503) 221-8811, www.hoffmancorp.com
16 (—) $1,152.55 Webcor Builders San Mateo, CA 94404 (650) 349-2727, www.webcor.com
17 (37) $1,117.50 Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. Pasadena, CA 91109-7084 (626) 578-3500, www.jacobs.com
18 (17) $1,073.28 PCL Construction Enterprises Inc. Denver, CO 80222 (303) 365-6500, www.pcl.com
19 (7) $1,068.94 Swinerton Inc. San Francisco, CA 94104 (415) 421-2980, www.swinerton.com
20 (14) $962.55 McCarthy Building Companies Inc. St. Louis, MO 63124 (314) 968-3300, www.mccarthy.com
21 (15) $878.90 Opus Group Minnetonka, MN 55343 (952) 656-4444, www.opuscorp.com
22 (27) $870.86 M.A. Mortenson Co. Minneapolis, MN 55422 (612) 522-2100, www.mortenson.com
23 (19) $867.33 Austin Industries Dallas, TX 75221-1590 (214) 443-5500, www.austin-ind.com
24 (25) $821.15 The Weitz Co. Inc. Des Moines, IA 50309-2331 (515) 698-4260, www.weitz.com
25 (24) $819.28 Pepper Construction Group Chicago, IL 60610 (312) 266-4700, www.pepperconstruction.com
26 (20) $798.00 AMEC Construction Management Inc. New York, NY 10019 (212) 484-0300, www.amec.com
27 (23) $792.40 Brasfield & Gorrie LLC Birmingham, AL 35233 (205) 328-4000, www.brasfieldgorrie.com
28 (32) $740.00 The Beck Group Dallas, TX 75201-4619 (214) 965-1100, www.beckgroup.com
29 (—) $738.22 Suffolk Construction Co. Inc. Boston, MA (617) 445-3500, www.suffolk-construction.com
30 (30) $717.80 Washington Group International Inc. Boise, Idaho 83729 (208) 386-5395, www.wgint.com
31 (26) $704.51 The Walsh Group Chicago, IL 60607 (312) 563-5400, www.walshgroup.com
32 (31) $682.00 Manhattan Construction Co. Dallas, TX 75206 (214) 357-7400, www.mccbuilds.com
33 (29) $647.20 Kraus-Anderson Construction Co. Minneapolis, MN 55404 (612) 332-7281, www.krausanderson.com
34 (22) $644.00 Kajima Construction Services Inc. Rochelle Park, NJ (201) 518-2100, www.kajimausa.com
35 (34) $632.16 Hardin Construction Co. Atlanta, GA 30327 (404) 264-0404, www.hardinconstruction.com
36 (28) $585.90 Alberici Corp. St. Louis, MO 63l2l (314) 261-2611, www.alberici.com
37 (35) $583.53 Walbridge Aldinger Detroit, MI 48226-2521 (313) 963-8000, www.walbridge.com
38 (44) $489.30 Holder Construction Co. Atlanta, GA 30339 (770) 988-3000, www.holderconstruction.com
39 (58) $455.36 Sundt Construction Inc. Tempe, AZ 85282 (480) 293-3000, www.sundt.com
40 (18) $450.00 JPI Partners Inc. Irving, TX 75039 (972) 556-1700, www.jpi.com
41 (48) $449.00 Dick Corp. Pittsburgh, PA 15236 (412) 384-1000, www.dickcorp.com
42 (—) $428.08 Suitt Construction Co. Inc. Greenville, SC 29607 (864) 250-5000, www.suitt.com
43 (—) $416.00 The Flintco Companies Inc. Tulsa, OK 74107 (918) 587-8451, www.flintco.com
44 (49) $403.00 Torcon Inc. Westfield, NJ 07091 (908) 232-8900, www.torcon.com
45 (40) $401.20 Carlson Implementation Associates Inc. Framingham, MA (508) 370-0100, www.carlsonsolutions.com
46 (43) $400.00 Clayco Construction Co. St. Louis, MO 63114 (314) 429-5100, www.claycorp.com
47 (60) $399.83 Lockwood Greene Spartanburg, SC 29304 (864) 578-2000, www.lg.com
48 (46) $375.52 The Austin Co. Cleveland, OH 44124 (440) 544-2600, www.theaustin.com
49 (42) $370.81 Kiewit Construction Co. Inc. Omaha, NE 68131 (402) 977-4500, www.kiewitbuildinggroup.com
50 (41) $366.50 McGough Construction St. Paul, MN 55113-1372 (651) 633-5050, www.mcgough.com
51 (39) $365.60 Day & Zimmermann International Inc. Philadelphia, PA (215) 299-8000, www.dayzim.com
52 (—) $365.00 Adolfson & Peterson Construction Minneapolis, MN (952) 544-1561, www.a-p.com
53 (53) $364.13 James N. Gray Co. Lexington, KY 40507-1450 (859) 281-5000, www.jngray.com
54 (59) $361.70 L.F. Driscoll Co. Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004-0468 (610) 668-0950, www.lfdriscoll.com
55 (51) $349.71 Stellar Group Jacksonville, FL 32257 (904) 260-2900, www.thestellargroup.com
56 (52) $348.40 Graycor Homewood, IL 60430 (708) 206-0500, www.graycor.com
57 (63) $345.33 Clancy & Theys Construction Co. Raleigh, NC 27603 (919) 834-3601, www.clancytheys.com
58 (38) $342.00 The Haskell Co. Jacksonville, FL 32202 (904) 791-4500, www.thehaskellco.com
59 (—) $327.20 O'Neil Industries Inc. Chicago, IL 60614 (773) 755-1611, www.oneilind.com
60 (50) $326.70 Nielsen Dillingham Builders San Diego, CA 92110 (619) 291-6330, www.nielsendillingham.com
61 (61) $321.06 Shawmut Design and Construction Boston, MA 02118 (617) 338-6200, www.shawmut.com
62 (56) $320.11 Fru-Con Construction Corp. Ballwin, MO 63022-0100 (636) 391-6700, www.frucon.com
63 (—) $310.87 Kitchell Corp. Phoenix, AZ 85016 (602) 264-4411, www.kitchell.com
64 (—) $309.96 H+M Co. Inc. Jackson, TN 38305 (731) 664-6300, www.hmcompany.com
65 (47) $305.56 Batson-Cook Co. West Point, GA 31833 (706) 643-2500, www.batson-cook.com
66 (64) $294.86 Brice Building Co. Inc. Birmingham, AL 35205 (205) 930-9911, www.bricebuilding.com
67 (62) $272.20 Weis Builders Inc. Minneapolis, MN 55423 (612) 243-5000, www.weisbuilders.com
68 (—) $267.00 George B.H. Macomber Co. Boston, MA 02210 (617) 478-6200, www.gbhmacomber.com
69 (55) $257.00 HBE Corp. St. Louis, MO 63141 (314) 567-9000, www.hbecorp.com
70 (69) $245.73 Barton Malow Co. Southfield, MI 48034 (248) 436-5000, www.bartonmalow.com
71 (—) $244.00 R.M. Shoemaker Holdings Inc. West Conshohoken, PA 19428 (610) 941-5500, www.rmsco.com
72 (—) $243.24 EMJ Corp. Chattanooga, TN 37421 (423) 855-1550, www.emjcorp.com
73 (—) $224.82 Hoar Construction LLC Birmingham, AL 35266 (205) 803-2121, www.hoarllc.com
74 (66) $220.00 Oltmans Construction Co. Whittier, CA 90608-0985 (562) 948-4242, www.oltmans.com
75 (68) $217.58 James McHugh Construction Co. Chicago, IL 60616 (312) 986-8000, www.mchughconstruction.com

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