Recognizing the economy was turning toward the end of 2008, Mid Eastern Builders of Chesapeake, Va., bid aggressively and secured contracts for a diverse mix of long-term projects that have helped the firm thrive in 2009, with revenues of $190 million up from $158.9 million in 2008. Related Links: Top Contractors Clark Construction Group Grunley Construction Co. Daniel J. Keating Co. Bozzuto Construction Co. Oak Contracting Hill International Top Contractors List “We cover a wide range of project types and have the Noah’s Ark of construction portfolios,” says Mark F. Olmstead, vice president of Mid Eastern Builders. “[That diversity] has

Despite the recession, 2009 proved to be a banner year for Oak Contracting of Towson, Md., as revenue increased to $164 million from $91 million in 2008. Related Links: Top Contractors Clark Construction Group Grunley Construction Co. Mid Eastern Builders Daniel J. Keating Co. Bozzuto Construction Co. Hill International Top Contractors List Dominick J. Dunnigan, director of marketing for Oak Contracting, attributes that success to building relationships that gain repeat clients and a K-12 market that was not hit as hard economically as other segments. “The money and the spending are still there” in building schools, Dunnigan says. Oak constructs

Hanging more than 200 ft over a jobsite in downtown Kansas City, Mo., James Hague doesn’t seem to notice the tiny people and equipment below his feet. Photo: Tudor Van Hampton Hanging from a protective harness, Hague uses a dial gauge to check for excessive play in the crane�s rotator gear. The senior technician is intently fiddling with a dial gauge that measures the amount of play in a crane turntable—the giant gear that rotates the jib. “A bearing could go bad,” says Hague, suspended from a full-body harness. “And that’s something we want to know before the top falls

American Infrastructure of Worcester, Pa., was the first firm to win a stimulus project in the state, but Mark Compton, director of government affairs at American Infrastructure, says there are “deep concerns” about the program going forward. Prior to the stimulus, the state announced the deferral of $1.1 billion in projects in MDOT’s six-year program and subsequent cuts have been made throughout the year. The joint venture of Bradley Enterprises and Nason Construction was awarded a $22-million, design-build contract on the Non-Medical Chemical Biological Facility at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md. In addition, the federal highway bill hasn’t been reauthorized, which

After years of gaining strength, the health-care sector took a dramatic pause this year as credit tightened, the economy softened and national debate over health-care reform created uncertainty on the horizon. Skanska USA Building is working on the $53-million Carilion Clinic, which features an imaging department with MRIs and CT scanners, diagnostics, nuclear medicine and 208 patient/exam rooms. Clark Construction Group and Balfour Beatty Construction are working on the $641.4-million Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Nationally, McGraw-Hill Construction research shows that health-care project starts dropped 36% from 110 million sq ft of new construction in 2008 to 70 million

Two years ago, the D.C. construction community was overwhelmed with opportunities and hard-pressed to find enough hands to take on work. Harkins Builders is currently building some of the few remaining major private projects moving forward in the District, including 2300 Pennsylvania Ave. SmithGroup partnered with Freelon Adjaye Bond to design the National Museum of African American History and Culture. It will take up to three years to design the $500-million project with construction to begin in 2012. The museum is scheduled to open in 2015. These days, many firms are burning backlog and hoping they can hold on until

Nationwide research is firming up the case for "intelligent" compaction, a construction method three decades in the making that could save billions of dollars a year in potholed roads, cracked bridges, broken dams and blown-out tires. But as it represents a huge cultural shift in project delivery, the industry is struggling to find a standard way to roll it out. Photo courtesy Iowa State University IC in its simplest form is an onboard measuring device that shows roller operators whether they are overcompacting, undercompacting or right on target in soil, aggregate and asphalt. Related Links: ENR Slideshow David White, a