From the $4.6-billion Manhattan West complex to the $3.9-billion Tappan Zee Bridge replacement span, the 2013 start-up of megaprojects in and around New York City has brightened prospects for specialty contractors with work forces large enough to handle the loads, say industry executives. The trend is more than a welcome sign to a sector hammered during a recession that drove some firms out of business and forced others to implement major cost-cutting initiatives.
"The economy in New York right now is smoking—very hot—and people are anticipating that will continue," says Gary Segal, president and CEO of GreenStar Services Corp., ranked No. 1 on this year's specialty contractor list. The firm's work includes electrical contracting through its Five Star Electric unit for the World Trade Center site, with such projects there as the September 11 Tribute in Light memorial.