We are busy at-work on the next issue of ENR Southwest and it is the annual presentation of the Specialty Contractor Survey.

We will also profile the firm that has been selected as the Top Specialty Contractor by the regional editors of Engineering News Record: Rosendin Electric’s southwest operations.  Wilson Electric of Tempe, Ariz., came in a very close second and was every bit as qualified as the others that were considered.

As contractor that grew with California, Rosendin Electric has also grown with the times. The firm had a humble start in 1919, focusing on work that included wiring shops and reworking motors. The firm expanded to Arizona in 1994 and also have a satellite office in Nevada. The work they currently perform varies from the largest commercial projects to a special projects group that also handles smaller projects. The firm is now the largest employee-owned electrical contractor in the country.

What may have impressed our judges the most, however, is the firm’s revenue jump: from approximately $129 million in 2014 to $319 million in 2014.

The Phoenix (Tempe) office has become the center for all high-tech work companywide, including 60 BIM designers, more than a dozen engineers and others with special skills for high/tech work, especially data centers. Work done out of this office is performed across the globe.

Rosendin’s safety record and 0.66 EMR, places them among the top contractors in the country.

Community is also important to the firm. They are active with Junior Achievement in the Phoenix metropolitan area, especially as a sponsor of “Biz Town” that shows youth how businesses are interconnected. They are involved in teaching and maintaining the facility. Recently raised $13,000 for Junior Achievement by putting on a Bowl-A-Thon. The firm also devotes time and funds to Boys and Girls Clubs, specifically the local Guadalupe branch near their Tempe, Ariz., offices.

A full profile of the firm will be included in the Sept. 7 issue, which will also include a plethora of data about the specialty contractor market.