Following a year when a cloud of uncertainty loomed heavily over the construction market, some contractors in 2021 see the future more clearly and are eyeing more opportunities on the horizon. Coming out of 2019, many contractors saw record levels of activity, and—even if certain sectors may have peaked—2020 was shaping up to be another strong year. The general pause in development and construction activity prompted by the pandemic in the spring started to thaw by summer. Still, many markets remained nearly frozen.
“I consider 2020 the lost year,” says Dan Kaufman, East region president for JE Dunn, who says the firm’s revenue in the region was down 12% from plan. “2019 was a record year in our region, and we thought we’d be over $1 billion [in revenue] in 2020. Now we believe [reaching $1 billion] will be the case in 2021.”