As we noted previously, ENR Southeast's latest Top Contractors survey showed that some of the largest contractors in the Southeast are beginning to find considerable traction as the four-state construction market begins to pick up speed.

blog post photo
Balfour Beatty served as the construction manager for the recently completed first phase of the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center project for the city of Orlando. (Photo courtesy Balfour Beatty)

One of those larger firms achieving a notable Southeast revenue increase in 2014—the year covered by the survey—was Balfour Beatty. The contractor reported a roughly 15% gain in 2014 revenue from the states of Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas, which boosted its total to above the $1-billion mark for the first time in five years, according to our survey.

The company's diverse lineup of ongoing and recently completed projects — from throughout the four-state region — gives an idea of Balfour Beatty's recent success. There's the recently completed $201.5-million Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando. A pair of contracts, totaling about $237 million, for Charlotte, N.C.'s $1.2-billion LYNX Blue Line light-rail extension. Also in North Carolina, the contractor's handling a $124-million I-140 Wilmington Bypass project, which started construction in late 2013. Additionally, the firm's working on residential projects throughout the region, including in Miami, Atlanta and South Carolina.

We'll also go ahead and mention the estimated $500-million Avatar project at Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom that Balfour Beatty is reportedly building—though no one with the firm will confirm, or deny, that.

ENR Southeast will have more information about these and other projects—though probably not Avatar—in the July 6 print edition. For now, here's a teaser from Walt Disney World called "Bringing the World of Avatar to Life," which includes a cameo by James Cameron.

Youtube video posted by Disney Parks