A Few Words About the ‘Contractor of the Year’ Process and This Year’s Nominees:

This is the second year that Southeast Construction has named a “Contractor of the Year.” This year’s process, which resulted in the selection of BE&K Building Group of Charlotte, N.C., was modified slightly from last year.

The aim of the process was to judge the nominated firms based upon their achievements during 2009 in the four-state region of Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas. As you’ve seen from the information in this article, there were numerous reasons for the recognition of BE&K Building Group for this honor.

However, it’s important that readers know some details about the process we used. First, a list of nominees was determined based upon firms’ regional achievements during 2009. Factors considered for the nomination process included regional construction revenue, noteworthy new contracts, the volume and/or growth of new business and intangibles such as innovative business practices, industry awards or technical accomplishments.

Six firms were nominated this year: BE&K Building Group; Balfour Beatty Construction; Clark Construction; The Shaw Group; Skanska USA Building; and Turner Construction Co.

These firms were then asked to respond to our nomination form and submit detailed information regarding their activity and business actions in the Southeast during 2009. The submissions from a “short-listed” group of finalists were then sent to a group of McGraw-Hill Construction editors across the country. (Editor’s Note: Though I was involved in the nomination process, I did not vote in this final round of voting that ultimately determined the “Contractor of the Year.”)

Here’s a rundown of each of the five other nominated firms and the strengths of their 2009 achievements.

Balfour Beatty Construction made a lot of noise, both nationally and regionally, in 2009. The firm ranked second overall in Southeast Construction’s listing of Top Contractors, with regional revenue of $1.17 billion. That included a first-place finish in North Carolina with $598.9 million, and second in Florida with $444.2 million.

Balfour Beatty’s recent acquisitions were prominent, too. In February, Balfour Beatty purchased RT Dooley Construction Co. of Charlotte, N.C., and in October, the firm made even bigger news when it announced its acquisition of Parsons Brinckerhoff.

Nominee Turner Construction Co. spent 2009 working on several high-profile projects. It formed half of the partnership that landed the Boeing Dreamliner project in North Charleston. Also, it won two of this year’s “Top Project Starts:” the $224-million Duval County Courthouse in Jacksonville, Fla., and the $120-million Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Hotel Tower III in Cherokee, N.C. Turner also worked as a construction manager for a road-building program in Osecola County, Fla.

In all, Turner ranked fourth in the Top Contractors ranking, with regional revenue of $889.52 million.

“From the sales side, in procuring work, for us, 2009 was one of our best years in Central Florida that we’ve ever had, despite the economy,” says Scott Skidelsky, vice president and general manager of Turner’s Orlando office.

Clark Construction Group of Tampa had noteworthy accomplishments during 2009. The firm, which has been landing numerous contracts in the military market, placed ninth overall in Southeast Construction’s Top Contractors ranking. Perhaps most notably, the firm was the top-rated “green” contractor in the Southeast during 2009, with more than $400 million of regional revenue associated with sustainable projects.

Skanska USA Building, with offices in Atlanta and Orlando, turned in another strong year during 2009. The contractor started work on one of the highest-profile projects in Central Florida, the $240-million Nemours Children’s Hospital in Orlando.

The contractor reported the highest volume of 2009 revenue from Florida projects of all firms included in our most recent Top Contractors ranking, with a nearly $481.8 million total.

The Shaw Group of Baton Rouge, La., made a splash in the region, and jumped into the magazine’s Top Contractors ranking for the first time with more than $1 billion in revenue and a third-place finish. The firm’s two big projects in the Carolinas contributed to these results: the $4-billion Mixed-Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility it is constructing for the U.S. Dept. of Energy in Aiken, S.C.; and the $1.8-billion Cliffside Steam Station Modernization it is building for Duke Energy in Rutherford and Cleveland counties in North Carolina.

Additionally, one of the company’s subsidiaries, Stone & Webster Construction, has been hired to construct the two new nuclear units at Georgia Power’s Vogtle Electric Generating Plant in Waynesboro, Ga. That project–the first nuclear power plant to be approved for construction in the United States in many years–represents a $14-billion investment by the Southern Co., the parent company of Georgia Power.

In summary, the competition was stiff this year. But alas, only one firm can be named for the honor.

Southeast Construction appreciates the efforts of all of the nominees in participating in the process for this year’s “Contractor of the Year” recognition. We also invite our readers to comment on any of the nominated firms and our selection process itself.

Finally, good luck to all of the contractors out there. We look forward to recognizing another group of firms next year.