“Construction is a lagging industry, so the jobs that we put in place in 2024 we would have won in 2022 or 2023. But really it’s been a strategy of diversity in markets,” says David Cramp, Swinerton’s director of SoCal education markets. “So when one market does slow down, we’re not trying to get into some new market, we’re already there, and we’re ready to capitalize on any markets that are expanding, such as the public works projects that are happening now.”

In recent years, the contractor has been focused on public works projects along the West Coast and building its corral of market experts in each geographic division to boost its presence in key sectors such as education, aviation and health care.

A focus on building and maintaining strong relationships has paid off as well, with about 75% of its work coming from repeat clients.

“Since interest rates were higher over the last couple of years, the private markets slowed down, so you’re not seeing as many high-rises, but the public market has picked up significantly,” Cramp says. “So, airports, libraries, civic projects and schools. There were a lot of bonds passed in California in the last November election—I think $40 billion just in California for K-12.”

With the 2028 Olympics fast approaching, many of the region’s airports are on the upgrade path, as are the state’s hospitals, which are racing to meet new earthquake requirements by mid-2026.

“Our teams have done a tremendous job of securing notable and fully funded projects in the aviation, education, health care, public, civic and interiors market sectors,” adds Lia Tatevosian, senior vice president and region manager for Southern California and Hawaii.

Some recent major Southern California completed projects include the County of Orange Civic Center, County Administration North, a 416,664-sq-ft, three-story project delivered under a P3 model, and the $225-million Compton High School, a 223,650-sq-ft campus that features a 36,000-sq-ft gym building and a 41,000-sq-ft performing arts center.

“I’m proud of all our wins, but especially excited about our intentional efforts to secure and deliver collaborative design-build projects such as San Diego State University Evolve Student Housing, Long Beach City College Liberal Arts Campus Student Housing and Chaffey College Library Learning Commons,” Tatevosian adds.

Among those projects wrapping up in 2025 were the Long Beach Airport Terminal Renovations and County of Riverside, Riverside Franklin Adult Residential Facility, on which Dr. Matthew Chang, director of Riverside University Health System-Behavioral Health, noted Swinerton’s commitment to fundamental design principles, flexibility and solutions-driven collaboration.

“The entire team operated with trust, transparency and exceptional communication, even when the county of Riverside requested to accelerate the timeline,” Chang recalls. “The team accommodated our needs and moved the project timeline up by one month, allowing us to meet our occupancy goals. For this, we are very grateful.”

Swinerton’s regional upswing has also coincided with its recent investments into mass timber, among other sustainable initiatives, such as electric vehicle programs, Tatevosian says. The firm is helping clients leverage mass timber to deliver projects faster and at a lower cost and environmental impact compared with traditional concrete and steel through its investment in full-service mass timber design, fabrication and construction affiliate Timberlab. That has allowed Swinerton to expand the supply chain for mass timber both regionally and nationally—and it’s continuing to expand those offerings.

The Orange County Sanitation District Headquarters, recently named Best Government/Public Building in ENR West’s 2025 Best Projects contest, is the largest mass timber project Swinerton has completed in Southern California to date. This three-story, 109,000-sq-ft office building is designed to achieve both LEED Gold and net-zero energy certification.

Another differentiator is Swinerton’s self-perform workforce, which executes various trades from concrete to drywall, millwork, doors, frames, hardware specialties and demolition.

To keep these ranks full, the company regularly recruits from local community colleges to encourage young people to come into the trades as early as possible. The firm is also developing its workforce through the trades with a dedicated training program that is funneling foremen into management, Cramp says.

“We have a very large outreach program for interns too. In Southern California, we had 70 interns alone, which is great,” he adds. “Getting people to know Swinerton and getting us to know the internship population is really helpful. It’s very competitive, but that helps a lot.”

Cramp believes Swinerton’s biggest key to success is its 100% employee ownership. “We’ve been like that for more than 30 years, and it really motivates people to take ownership in the company and in the work that they do, and so ultimately it comes down to people,” he says. “We’re a service organization, and there’s a lot that can be said [about that], but we have a great culture that values both our employees and our clients.”