Regular readers of Engineering News-Record are familiar with the big names in the construction industry that lead off our annual “Top” lists of firms ranked by revenue. But size is no guarantee of success. The industry’s largest firms haven’t been immune from the global economic downturn. Between 2008 and 2009, ENR’s Top 400 Contractors, as a group, saw a 14.1% drop in revenue. Only nine of the top 100 firms on that list saw their revenue increase in 2009.
When times are good, it is almost expected that well-established firms will reap positive returns; it’s when the market presents significant challenges that companies prove their mettle.